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What Is Seviyan? What Is Kheer?
Seviyan in English means “vermicelli” and “kheer” is the Hindi word for “pudding.” This dish is also known as “Semiyan Payasam.” Vermicelli noodles are thin noodles made from ground rice. You may have seen vermicelli noodle dishes in Chinese restaurants, but here we’re actually going to use them in this fantastic dessert! Vermicelli noodles cook almost instantly, and they roast very well as you’ll see in this recipe!
About This Indian Vermicelli Dessert
Very recently, I shared my recipe for Instant Pot Rice Kheer. Rice kheer is essentially an Indian-style rice pudding, so the difference between this vermicelli kheer is the fact that we’re using vermicelli noodles instead of rice! This kheer is simply made with milk, ghee, and vermicelli noodles, and some extra touches to really bring the dessert together. This is an epic creamy dessert that you’ll love for any occasion!
If you’re subscribed to me on YouTube (and if you’re not please do by clicking this link! All my video recipes are released on YouTube at the same time as the blog posts go live, and I find videos help demonstrate the recipes well!), you know I’ve been hosting an open collaboration called #mycookingjourney2021. The objective with this collaboration is to encourage those who are new to the world of Indian cooking to get their feet wet by trying out a classic Indian recipe that they’ve never tried before. For those who are experienced at Indian cooking, I’ve challenged them to try fun fusion recipes! What’s fun is that I decided to participate in the challenge too! It’s been so much fun and I’ve learned a lot about myself in the process - it’s been such a blast that I’ve decided to extend the challenge by a week! So if you’re reading this at the time of publishing and you have a YouTube channel, then I encourage you to send in your submissions so I can see your fantastic creations!
One major takeaway I’ve had from this challenge is that I’ve grown much fonder over making desserts. Before this challenge, the amount of Dessert recipes I’ve had on this blog was pretty pathetic! Furthermore, the only Indian dessert recipe I had published prior to this was Sooji Halwa, which is a sweet semolina pudding!
Ho hum, what can I say? I’ve always liked cooking extravagant dinners. When I came to Canada, I jumped right into making the popular restaurant staple Butter Chicken, or Murgh Makhani, despite being in a small residence kitchen shared with a dozen or so other students!
When I eventually finally got my own kitchen and a KitchenAid Stand Mixer, I became passionate about bread baking, but desserts? Those were something I’ve always put off! In my head, I would just put in so much effort into creating main dishes that I’d be too tired to prepare dessert after! I then learned that the key to having an awesome dessert is to make it before your dinner :)
By the end of 2020 and at the start of 2021, I made desserts every week or so with that tip. However, I still wasn’t developing any recipes, as I was learning from some classics. All the content on the blog and on YouTube were still only savoury dishes!
For the “Indian classics I’ve never made before” portion of the #mycookingjourney2021 challenge, desserts were certainly dishes that I have not done much of before! In the eight (crazy how time flies!) years I’ve been in Canada, I’ve made this Seviyan a handful of times, but I wouldn’t say I’m a seasoned pro at it! The same applied to the other dessert recipes I’ve shared as part of the challenge, including the Rice Kheer and Carrot Halwa - similar to the sooji halwa but with grated carrots! Yes, after never sharing dessert recipes on the blog, I’ve made three in one month! I’m a changed man everyone!
With that being said, you’ll love this Seviyan or Vermicelli Indian dessert recipe! It’s easy to make, requires only a few ingredients, and you’ll have a creamy, silky pudding with a delicious texture from those roasted vermicelli noodles! Enjoy it hot or cold, the choice is yours! Let’s get to the recipe!
Tips for an Amazing Kheer with Vermicelli
- If using chopped up nuts, make sure to clean the pan before adding the vermicelli to roast.
- Use your favourite combination of nuts, cashews, almonds, pistachio and even dried fruits like raisins for topping.
- Keep a close eye on the milk to ensure it doesn’t boil over, and stir often.
- Adjust the sweetness and sweetener to your preference.
- If everyone in your family likes their own unique sweetener, then make the entire dish without it. Then to serve, mix in the “custom” sweetener.
Ingredients for Vermicelli Milk Pudding
We won’t have a long ingredient list for this kheer with vermicelli recipe. We’ve got our core ingredients plus some extra goodies to really elevate the classic kheer! Let’s review everything that you’ll need for a delightful dessert!
- Ghee: Used to roast our vermicelli noodles.
- Vermicelli noodles: Also known as Sevai. I used classic vermicelli noodles for this recipe.
- Milk: I recommend 2% or full fat milk to prepare this dish for best results. I made one batch with 2% milk and 1% milk, since I finished all my 2% milk. The 1% milk works fine, but in this case the more fat content the milk has, the better the texture and taste!
- Sweetener: You can use your favourite sweetener for this recipe. Traditionally, table sugar is used, but I used honey to switch things up! Use the amount according to your preferred level of sweetness.
- Ground green cardamom: This adds a lovely subtle flavour that really enhances the dish. I use ground green cardamom in all my Indian desserts, I highly recommend you get your hands on it!
- Saffron: One strand is all you need and it will certainly elevate the elegance of your vermicelli pudding.
- Cashews: Toasted in ghee for garnish. You could also add in chopped pistachios, almonds, or dried fruit including raisins. I kept it simple with using cashews.
How to Make Indian Vermicelli Pudding
- Heat ghee on medium and add the cashews or any other nuts you like. Saute until light golden brown and set aside.
- Turn heat to medium high and then lightly crush and break the vermicelli and add to the same pot. Continue to stir and roast vermicelli until it turns golden brown.
- Add all of the milk and mix well. Continue stirring from time to time to ensure the milk doesn't get burnt on.
- Reduce heat and bring the milk to a simmer. Add in sweetener of choice and continue to simmer and reduce the milk until it thickens.
- Then add ground green cardamom and saffron and stir well.
- Serve hot or chilled, topped with roasted nuts and raisins.
How to adjust the texture of vermicelli kheer?▼
I don’t know about you, but I love my Vermicelli Kheer very thick! However, some folks like a more soupy consistency.
The kheer will always thicken further as it cools down so keep that in mind. To have a thinner kheer, simply turn off the heat once the kheer matches your preference. Or if you want it thicker, continue reducing until it is just perfect.
can i make Vermicelli kheer in advance?▼
Yes, you sure can! As mentioned, you can serve Vermicelli Kheer either hot or cold, so if you want to have it cold then of course it can be saved for later! Here I made four portions so I could enjoy portions with different textures and at different textures! You can actually have a lot of variety out of one recipe!
To store leftovers, transfer the contents into an airtight container, and place in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. You can either reheat vermicelli kheer over the stove or in the microwave. To reheat in the microwave, heat for about 2-3 minutes, stirring every minute to ensure it is evenly warmed through. For the stove, transfer to a sauce pan or pot and heat on medium-low until the kheer has been completely warmed through, stirring occasionally.
Of course, if you don’t want it hot, then just take it right out of the fridge and grab a spoon, or let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes if you want it slightly cool! It’s all up to you!
Other Indian Dessert Recipes
- Sooji Halwa: A sweet semolina pudding. This pudding is made by toasting the semolina with ghee and adding milk, topped with cashews!
- Carrot Halwa: A variation of the sooji halwa, where we’ll roast some grated carrots and allow the carrots to boil with the milk.
- Instant Pot Rice Kheer: Similar to this vermicelli kheer recipe, and I shared how to make it with basmati rice in the Instant Pot! This avoids the amount of hands-on time because there’s less babying of the milk, so you won’t have to worry about it burning. Of course I’ve written instructions to make this over the stove if you don’t have an Instant Pot!
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