Hello guys! I’m sharing the recipe of one of my absolute favorite Indian dessert – Semiya Kheer or Semiya Payasam or Vermicelli Kheer. Semiya Kheer is a popular and easy to make Indian Dessert made by simmering Milk and adding roasted Vermicelli, topping it with ghee roasted cashews and raisins. It is flavored with cardamom and saffron. This easy-to-make Semiya Kheer recipe can be made in 20-25 minutes.
My husband is usually the dessert king of our house, but the Semiya Kheer is always a success for me! It’s easy to make and is an instant hit with my toddler as well. I use Organic Valley Whole Milk and Organic Valley Ghee for this recipe.
When I moved to the US in 2016, I was stunned by the various brand of milk available in the supermarkets. I stumbled upon Organic Valley few years ago, when I noticed the Organic Valley Ghee right next to the butter section. I bought it immediately to test it out since I don’t usually find Ghee in American Supermarkets. Dairy products are such a staple in my house and we have been using Organic Valley Whole Milk and Organic Valley Ghee for my daughter as well. Their products are Organic and their cows are grass-fed, which makes such a huge difference in the quality of their products.
Another favorite is the Organic Valley Grassmilk Full Fat Yogurt. It has a layer of cream on top of the yogurt and so closely resembles the home-made yogurt made by my mom in India. I have been using this yogurt for my daughter since the time she started dairy products. It is such a great source of protein for kids.
If you are looking for a brand in the US that closely resembles the creamy milk in India, you should definitely try out Organic Valley products.
Semiya Kheer | Vermicelli Kheer
Ingredients
- 4 cups Organic Valley Whole Milk
- 3 tbsp Organic Valley Ghee
- 3/4 cup Vermicelli (Unroasted/ Roasted)
- 1/2 cup Organic Brown Sugar You can use regular white sugar.
- 5 strands Saffron
- 3-4 Crushed Green Cardamom I use Mortar and pestle to crush 3-4 green cardamom pods and remove the skin (or) You can add the skin and remove it before serving.
- 10-12 Cashews Chop the cashews into small pieces.
- 20 Golden Raisins Can be substituted with green raisins.
Instructions
Soaking Saffron
- Take 3 tbsp of cold milk and soak the saffron in the milk for 20 minutes to release the flavors.
Roasting Vermicelli
- In a wide bottomed pan or heavy bottomed pan add 1 tbsp of Organic Valley Ghee and let the ghee melt on low-medium heat.
- Add 3/4 cups of vermicelli and stir continuously to roast the vermicelli.
- Roast till the color changes to golden brown.
- Transfer the contents to a bowl to cool.
Ghee Roasted Nuts
- Heat 1 tbsp Organic Valley Ghee in a small kadai/ pan, wait for the ghee to melt.
- Add the chopped cashews to the melted ghee and mix with a spoon/ spatula.
- When the cashews begin to change color, add the raisins.
- Mix till the raisins start bubbling up.
- Remove from flame immediately and set aside to cool.
- Note: This step can be carried out before you begin the process of cooking (or) you can roast the nuts while you wait for the milk to boil – After Step 3 in recipe "Making Vermicelli Kheer".
Making Vermicelli Kheer
- In the same pan used for roasting vermicelli, add 4 cups of Organic Valley Whole Milk. Mix well.
- Add crushed cardamom to the milk. Mix well.
- Simmer the milk on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally.Optional: While the milk is boiling, start preparing the toppings as listed above.
- In 5-7 minutes, the milk will start to boil. Add the 3/4 cup roasted vermicelli to the boiling milk and mix well.
- Cook the vermicelli kheer mixture for about 2-3 minutes until the vermicelli begins to soften and milk starts to thicken.
- Add 1/2 cup of sugar and mix well. Cook for about 2-3 minutes and taste the mixture. Add additional sugar, if needed.
- Add the saffron milk and mix well for about 2 minutes.
- Add the ghee fried nuts and mix well.
- Switch off the flame. The contents will thicken as you let it cool. Best served hot or warm (or) it can be refrigerated and served chill.
Notes
- Full fat milk and ghee bring out the best flavors in this Semiya Kheer recipe.
- Organic brown sugar enhances the flavor of the Kheer.
- Semiya Kheer will thicken when you turn off the flame.
- If you prefer Milky Semiya Kheer, make sure not to thicken the milk too much (Step5 in recipe “Making Vermicelli Kheer”) and make sure to measure the quantity of vermicelli.
- If you like Thick Semiya Kheer, thicken the milk by cooking the mixture 2-3 minutes longer. (Step5 in recipe “Making Vermicelli Kheer”)
- You can make this recipe simpler by using Roasted Vermicelli and skip out the section “Roasting Vermicelli”.
- Optional: You can top off the Semiya Kheer with Rose Petals and/or Slivered Almonds.
Thank you for stopping by. Drop in your comments below and let me know if you try out this recipe.
Love,
Smita
