Vermicelli (Seviyan) Kheer – How to make Semiya Payasam

Seviyan kheer or Vermicelli kheer also known as Semiya payasam in south India is one of the simplest yet incredibly one of the tastiest sweet dessert that is made throughout India. It is a regular during festivals and for special occasions.

My mum used to make one of the yummiest seviyan kheer and most often I used to urge her to make it for me. It was such a comfort food for me at that time. What I like about this dessert is that it is very quick to make and you can quickly prepare it for kids or for guest in no time at all.

Seviyan or vermicelli is usually available in two forms in the market – one is the traditional thin and roasted form, and the other is a white in colour and is usually bit thicker as compared to the traditional one. Making kheer with the thin and roasted variety is quicker since it doesn’t needs to be roasted.

In this post I have made the kheer using the thicker variety of seviyan and therefore, I have roasted it prior to adding the milk.

You can add any type of dry fruits like cashew-nuts, raisins, almonds or pistachios according to your choice.

Ingredients required for Seviyan Kheer / Semiya Payasam :

Broken Seviyan/Vermicelli (Roasted/non-roasted)- 1/2 cup
Whole milk – 2 1/2 cups
Sugar – 3-4 tbsps
Cardamom  – 4-5 (powdered)
Cashew-nuts – 10-12 (split in half)
Raisins – 1 tsp
Saffron – A few strands (optional)
Clarified butter/Ghee – 2 tbsps

How to make Vermicelli Kheer / Semiya Payasam:

1. Heat 2 tbsps of clarified butter/ghee in a pan.
   
2. Roast the cashewnuts on a very low flame till they turn slightly pinkish in colour. Don’t brown them.
   
3. Separately roast the raisins. Drain and keep them aside.
   
4. Now in the remaining ghee add 1/2 cup of vermicelli.
   
5. Roast on a medium flame till vermicelli starts turning brown in colour. This will take around 3-4 minutes. Skip browning the vermicelli if it is the roasted form. In this case you just need to roast it for 1 minute or so.
   
6. Add milk and cook on a medium flame.
   
7. After 10-12 minutes the vermicelli will turn soft. By this time the milk will also start to thicken. If you feel the kheer is very thick add some more milk.
   
8. Now add 3 – 4 tbsps of sugar.
   
9. Dissolve a few strands of saffron in 1 tsp of warm milk.
   
10. Add the dissolved saffron to the kheer mix.
    
11. Now add the roasted dry fruits.
    
12. Finally add 1/2 tsp of cardamaom powder and mix.
    
13. Cook for further 1-2 minutes till the kheer thickens some more.
    
14. The kheer can be served hot, warm or chilled – It tastes equally good in every form !!