Seviyan Kheer/ Seviyan with milk; a velvety delightful dessert

Introduction

Seviyan Kheer is a smooth and silky dessert from South Asia, particularly popular in Pakistan and India. It’s made from vermicelli noodles (seviyan) which are cooked in milk until it thickens (the thickening part of the process is key to the flavour). Like most Pakistani dishes, cardamom makes an appearance with this dessert, it flavours the milk beautifully.

I love that this dessert is so easy to make, it’s really a no fuss recipe that creates a creamy velvety delight! Like most Pakistani desserts, the garnishing is always nuts. You can never go wrong with almonds and walnuts. The nuts add the contrasting texture to the silky dessert.

Seviyan is a traditional dessert that is enjoyed on special occasions, such as Eid and weddings.

Seviyan Kheer on Eid

Seviyan Kheer is an absolute must for Eid celebrations, whether you are in Pakistan or the UK. Eid-ul-Fitr, in particular, marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. This is when seviyan kheer will always make an appearance. Most households will have this as breakfast time, others will enjoy it as a more conventional delicious dessert after their Eid lunch or dinner.

After a month of fasting, it is lovely to eat a dessert which is so quick and easy to make. It really is all about letting is simmer on low heat, and you just have to cast your eye over it every now and again and give it a quick stir. It’s all made in one pot, you can easily make it the night before, it keeps excellently in the fridge. When serving, you can heat it up if you prefer it warm or serve it cold. I prefer mine cold. It gives the dessert more of a refreshing edge.

My take on Seviyan Kheer

Before you start, make the vermicelli will be in long strands in the pack. Make sure u break them down into smaller pieces in a bowl. Gently scrunch them together until you have pieces of vermicelli around 1-2 inches long. This makes it easier when you eat them. The first time I made this dessert (for my in laws) I made the mistake of cooking the full length strands. The vermicelli kept slipping off the spoon due to the milk, therefore making it very difficult to eat gracefully! Definitely learnt my lesson there. It’s much easier to have smaller bite size pieces as pictured below.

Make sure you use whole milk rather than semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, as the whole milk will give the required creaminess to the dessert.

If you can, you can pick out the cardamon shells, it just makes it easier for the children (and hubby) to eat.

I always garnish the dessert with a sprinkle of coarsely ground almonds and pistachios. You can always sprinkle some edible rose petals too for that extra glamourous finishing touch.

Pressure cooking Seviyan Kheer

If you were short on time, you could put the milk, cardamon and seviyan into the pressure cooker. Once you can hear the pressure cooker hissing with the steam build up, allow it to cook for 10 minutes.

Once the 10 minutes have expired, turn the heat off. Leave the pressure cooker untouched and allow the steam to gently escape. (You do not want to rush this process, as there is a risk of the milk in the pan being forced out with the pressure of the steam).

Once the hissing sound of the steam escaping quietens, turn the pressure cooker lid’s release steam setting. This will release the last of the steam left in the pan. Then remove the pressure cooker lid.

Then proceed with the condensed milk, sugar and nuts as mentioned above.

How to serve Seviyan

I serve my seviyan in a small bowls. Seviyan can be eaten warm or cold, it really is down to personal preference. I personally prefer a bowl of cold seviyan, however my husband prefers his warm. Either way it’s a delight to eat. Seviyan Kheer is a great dessert to prepare in advance. You can keep in the fridge until you want to serve it at your dinner party. Alternatively, serve the seviyan kheer with Karak Chai, an indulgent tea . You will have the perfect afternoon snack to enjoy with friends . They won’t be able to fault you on your hospitality!

You can also freeze the seviyan once it’s cooled down. It freezes well for up to three months. If you are planning to freeze it, don’t add the nuts or rose petals. When you want to eat it, allow it to defrost overnight in the fridge. Then add the nuts and rose petals at this point, before serving.

See my video on Youtube, Instagram or TikTok to see how to make this dish!

INGREDIENTS  

• 2 pints whole milk or 1.2 litres
• 40 grams roasted vermicelli (seviyan) break the seviyan up into small pieces before cooking
• 6 cardamon pods, grounded with pestle and mortar
• 200 grams condensed milk
• 0.5 tbsp sugar to taste
• 1 pinch saffron optional
• 1 tbsp almonds, coarsely grounded with pestle and mortar
• 1 tbsp pistachios, coarsely grounded with pestle and mortar
• 1 tbsp edible rose petals optional

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Add the milk, vermicelli and cardamoms to a pan and bring to boil. Then turn the heat down and allow it to simmer for 30 minutes on low heat. Stir at regular intervals to make sure the vermicelli is not catching to the bottom of the pan.
• Add the condensed milk (saffron) and sugar, stir through for a minute. Taste at this point, if it needs more sugar add accordingly to your taste.
• Garnish with the nuts and rose petals and serve. You can serve the seviyan warm or refrigerate and serve cold.