On a Sweeter Note - Seviyan Kheer

If there's one sweet-dish that is popular all over India, it is Kheer - a milk and dry-fruits based pudding. It is  often prepared in Indian household on festive occasions, for other celebrations or for guests.

Although there are many types of Kheer, the one I like most is Seviyan Kheer prepared from Seviyan (Vermicelli). I thought this Kheer deserves a special place on my blog for a number of reasons. Number one reason is that all in the family love it. I learnt this dish from my sister-in-law (brother's wife) who used to make it often at family get-togethers. I could never get enough of Kheer prepared by her as there were others also in the race for finishing it off :-)) Surprise, surprise - my little nephew used to be a winner in this race!

I also have an opinion about what constitutes a good Kheer. I feel that a balance of all the ingredients is of essence - a good Kheer has a sweet mellow taste, with a background flavour of Cardamom and an interesting crunch added to it by dry fruits and nuts. Although Kheer preparation is not a Rocket Science, it does need patience and practice to get the flavour right.

Seviyan is easily available in Indian grocery stores. There are a couple of varieties; the one used in this recipe is the thinner variety (see the picture below).

So here goes my recipe...

Seviyan Kheer

Ingredients

1 cup Thin Seviyan (Vermicelli)
500 ml Milk
3/4 cup Sugar
1 tbsp Ghee/Clarified butter
3-4 Green Cardamoms
1 tbsp Cashews - cut into smaller pieces
1 tbsp Almonds - blanched, peeled and cut into long, thin pieces
1 tbsp Chironji
1 tbsp Pistachios -chopped finely

Method

• Heat Ghee in a pan and roast Cashews and Chironji nuts. Keep them aside.
• Crush Seviyan to smaller pieces and add it to the ghee. Stir.
• As soon as the Seviyan start turning brownish in colour, add the milk and bring it boil. Keep stirring it, otherwise the Seviyan will start sticking together or to the pan.
• Once the milk has boiled, add sugar and powdered Cardamom. Stir.
• Let the Kheer boil for about 5 minutes and then take it off stove.
• Add the roasted nuts, almonds and pistachios(if using).