Sheer Khurma (also known as Sheer Khorma) is a rich, creamy, traditional sweet made with wheat vermicelli, milk, dates, nuts, dry fruits, sugar and ghee. It is made during Ramadan and also on the festive occasion of Eid al-Fitr in the South Asian countries of India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan. 'Sheer' means milk and 'Khurma' refers to dates in Persian language.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 5
  • Category: Desserts, Sweets
  • Cuisine: North Indian, World

Ingredients

  • 1 cup or (40 grams) vermicelli ((seviyan) - broken, thin strands of whole wheat vermicelli)
  • 3 tablespoons ghee ((clarified butter))
  • 30 or (20 grams or 3 tablespoons) pistachios ((unsalted) - chopped or sliced)
  • 20 or (20 grams) almonds (- chopped or sliced)
  • 16 to 18 cashews (- chopped, 20 grams)
  • 2 tablespoons golden raisins
  • ½ cup or (100 grams) dates (- chopped or 4 large or 8 small to medium-sized)
  • 2 tablespoons chironji ((charoli), optional)
  • 1 litre whole milk
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom powder (or 4 green cardamoms crushed in a mortar-pestle.)
  • 1 tablespoon rose water (or kewra water (pandanus water))
  • 15 to 18 saffron strands (- optional)

Method

Preparation

  1. In a wok (kadai), frying pan or skillet, dry roast the vermicelli stirring often on a low heat until golden and set aside. If you want then you can roast the vermicelli in ghee also.
  2. In the same pan, heat ghee and add chopped dry fruits, dates, nuts and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes stirring often on a low heat.

Making Sheer Khurma

  1. Heat milk in a heavy saucepan or pot or kadai (wok) on medium-low to medium heat.
  2. Let the milk come to a boil. Stir a few times while the milk heats and comes to a boil.
  3. Lower the heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until the milk slightly thickens. Stir often while the milk reduces and thickens.
  4. Add the roasted vermicelli and sugar to the milk. Mix well to combine.
  5. Simmer on low to medium-low heat until vermicelli are cooked and have softened. This will take about 8 to 10 minutes on a low heat.
  6. The milk will also thicken and reduce in volume.
  7. Add the cardamom powder and saffron strands.
  8. Also add the entire sauteed dry fruits, nuts and ghee mixture to the milk.
  9. Switch off the heat and mix well.
  10. Check the taste and add more sugar if required.
  11. Finally add rose water and give a stir.
  12. Serve the Sheer Khurma hot, warm or cold.
  13. You can also garnish it with saffron strands or rose petals or slivered nuts.

Scaling & Storage

  1. Store any leftovers in a covered bowl or container in the fridge for a couple of days.
  2. Sheer Khurma will thicken as it cools. So keep this is mind and cook it to your preferred consistency.
  3. Make a large batch of this recipe easily to feed a crowd.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.