Sewai Ki Kheer (Vermicelli and Milk Dessert)

Sewai Kheer(Vermicelli Dessert)

Sewai (Vermicelli) is made of refined flour/rice flour/ Semolina and refined flour mixture. The savories or sweets made from vermicelli are extremely tasty and delicious. Sewai upama with minimum amount of oil and lots of vegetables are best for breakfast and snacks. Whereas sweets made from it are perfect for dessert. Vermicelli made from the mixture of whole wheat flour and semolina is healthiest. No Id festival would be complete without mouthwatering preparations of sewai. I still remember the taste of the Sewai kheer we used to eat at my friends Serfuddin’s uncles place while I was doing my PhD. Being a hostelite we not only used to enjoy the feast but a sumptuous packet used to be handed over for next day. Each Id I remember the wonderful uncle and aunty of his for their hospitality despite of all constraints.

Preparation Time: 5 min.

Cooking Time: 40-45 min

Servings: 4 Large servings

Ingredients Required For Making Sewai Ki Kheer (Vermicelli and Milk Dessert):

• 100 gm. Sewai (Vermicelli)/1 Teacup Sewai

• 2 Lt. whole Cream Milk

• 100 gm. Sugar

• 10-15 Almonds

• 10-15 Cashew nuts

• 10-15 Raisins

• 4-5 Green cardamom

• 10 ml. (2 Teaspoons) Clarified Butter (Ghee)4-5 Strings of Kesar (Optional)

Directions For Making Sewai Ki Kheer (Vermicelli and Milk dessert):

• If the Vermicelli is in long strings then break them to 3-4 inches pieces.

• Boil the milk and let in simmer for thickening till you make Sewai (vermicelli) ready for Kheer.

• Heat ghee in a thick bottom wok and when the ghee is hot lower the flame and put sewai in hot ghee.

• Cook the vermicelli in hot ghee on low flame till it becomes golden brown in color.

Sewai being Cooked in Ghee on Low Flame

• Add the milk which is simmering on gas into the golden brown sewai and stir quickly to avoid lump formation.

Milk Added to Sewai

• Cook the sewai in milk on low flame till the quantity of milk in the wok reduces to half. 

Sewai Cooking in Milk On Low Flame

• The milk will be absorbed by sewai and during cooking it will thicken also.

• Add sugar and mix nicely.

• Cook with gentle stirring on high flame for just 2-3 minutes after adding sugar.

Being Cooked On High Flame After Adding Sugar

• Remove from gas  and add

• Remove the stalk from raisins.

• Add
• Raisins

• Cardamom powder

• Saffron strings

• Mix gently and cover.

• Allow the Kheer to cool.

• Cut Almonds and cashew to the size of your choice.

• Add

• Almonds

• Cashew  to the cooked Kheer.

Nuts Added to Sewai Kheer

• Give a gentle stir. Decorate the kheer with raisins, halves of soaked almonds, cherry. 

• If your preference is for hot kheer then while warming make sure you are warming it in a thick bottom vessel or warm in micro wave.

• If you like chilled kheer then keep the serving bowl in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours.

Sewai Kheer (Vermicelli dessert)

Tips:

• Always be gentle while stirring, after all you would not like the sewai to become pulp in the milk.

• Always cook the sewai to golden brown color before adding milk if without sauteing them milk is added then the kheer will have taste of raw flour and also will tend to become pulpy.

• If you want to avoid even this little amount of ghee then roast then on low flame till golden brown. Taste will be compromised.

• Even if you get roasted sewai from market yet it needs to be cooked in little ghee.

• Continuous stirring and turning the sewai upside down is very important for uniform cooking.

• If the milk is thickened to half of the amount taken before adding to the sewai then cooking time reduces. I normally keep milk for simmering while I do rest of the cooking so that after 30 min. the milk is thick enough to be added to sewai without any problem.

• If milk is kept for simmering the make sure it is on minimum heat and is occasionally stirred.

• Add Almonds, Cashew just before serving else they will become soggy. Soft kheer is best with crunchy almonds, cashew, and pistachio. Raisins should be added just after adding cardamom powder a sit needs to soak the liquid to become juicier. 
• To avoid curdling of milk in kheer sugar should not be added in early state of cooking the kheer.

Suggested Variations:

• Green peels of cardamom can be added to milk while it is simmering or being cooked with sewai. Remove the peeling before taking the kheer into serving bowl.

• 4-5 Teaspoons of Sabudana (sago) can be soaked and sauteed in little ghee and added to the sewai along with the milk.

• Toned milk can be taken instead of full cream milk this will reduce the amount of fat and calories in the kheer.

• 100 gm. Jaggery / Dates jaggery can be added instead of sugar. But if you are using jaggery then dissolve it in 100 ml. water and boil for for2-3 minutes then add to the kheer after removing the wok with kheer from heat. Else the milk in kheer will curdle.

• 2-3 Teaspoons of chironji (Buchanania Lanzan) can be added along with almonds and cashew.