Mango Sheer Khorma
Nothing says Eid Mubarak like a bowl of sheer khorma (also known as seviyan) — toasted vermicelli in saffron & cardamom scented sweet milk. This traditional Indian dessert is served in celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Muslims across the globe celebrate Eid with various cultural traditions, however, one thing holds true no matter where you are — there’s definitely dessert! This year, the tradition of little kids going over their aunt’s & uncle’s homes in the hopes of getting Eidi (a small gift, usually money) and eating a bowl of sheer khorma will definitely be different, and perhaps non-existent. But we can still enjoy our dessert at home and perhaps share some with our loved ones albeit from afar.
Muslims across the globe celebrate Eid with various cultural traditions, however, one thing holds true no matter where you are — there’s definitely dessert!
Traditionally in Hyderabad, the city in India where my family is from, sheer khorma is made with a lot of sugar and ghee. To make it a bit more healthier, I added less sugar, used very little coconut oil, and soaked dates as a sweetener. I also added mango since it’s warm in LA and I wanted to make a bright & refreshing version of the traditional dessert. Sheer khorma is eaten either warm or cold but I would recommend eating this recipe cold. A virtual Eid Mubarak from my home to yours!
Mango Sheer Khorma
Makes: 4 servings
Calories: About 175 in 1/2 cup
Time: 40 mins
INGREDIENTS
8 small pitted dates (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup hot water
1 tsp coconut oil
1/4 cup slivered almonds
2 pods cardamom
1/2 cup thin vermicelli
2 cups milk
1 Tbs. packed brown sugar
1/8 tsp. vanilla extract
2 mangoes, diced (reserve a few pieces for garnish)
Saffron for garnish
METHOD
Step 1
In a small bowl, add the dates and cover with 1/4 cup hot water. Set aside.
Step 2
Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan, heat the coconut oil and fry the almonds & cardamom pods until brown. Be careful to not burn. Set aside. In the same sauce pan, toast the vermicelli until brown. Set aside.
Step 3
Mash the softened dates and strain into the same sauce pan. Add milk, brown sugar, and fried cardamom pods and gently boil stirring frequently. Once boiled, take out the cardamom pods, take off heat and stir in vanilla. Cool slightly.
Step 4
Add milk mixture to a blender along with mango. Blend until smooth. Return back to sauce pan, turn heat to low (it’s important to not heat it too high otherwise the milk will curdle), and add the toasted vermicelli. Cook on low heat stirring until the vermicelli is cooked through (about 5 minutes). Garnish with fried almonds, mango, and saffron.
Sheer Khorma or Seviyan?
Traditionally, sheer khorma is made from milk, sugar, toasted vermicelli, almonds, cardamom, saffron, and chironji (almond flavored seeds from the Buchanania lanzan tree). Sheer khorma —meaning “milk and dates” in Persian — and Seviyan — meaning “vermicelli” in Hindi — are used interchangeably in Hyderabad. There are two different textures of the dessert depending on how much milk you add. Technically, seviyan are thicker with less milk and sheer khorma is much looser with more milk.
Source: My mom.
