Shir khurma

This creamy vermicelli pudding is a popular breakfast and dessert option for Muslims during Eid al-Fitr.

• serves

  4

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  1:30 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp neutral oil (e.g. sunflower)
• 75 g sawayyan (vermicelli), broken into small pieces by hand
• 5-7 green cardamom pods, seeds extracted, pods discarded
• 2 litres full cream milk
• ¾ litre full cream
• 170-350 g sugar (adjust depending on the intensity of sweetness preferred)
• 200 g slivered almonds (extra for serving)
• 100 g golden or green raisins
• 2 dried dates
• edible gold dust (optional) or varak (see Note) 

Chilling time overnight

You will need a large, heavy-bottomed pan to prepare the pudding as the sugar and milk burn rather easily if using a light-bottomed pan.

Instructions

Place pan on medium-high heat and add the oil. When hot, add cardamom seeds and vermicelli. Let the spices cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly, till the cardamom is fragrant and the vermicelli begins to change colour slightly.

Add the milk, cream, sugar, almonds, raisins and dried dates. Stir.

Turn the heat to a low temperature and let the mixture cook, uncovered, for 1-1½ hours. The pudding will need to be monitored and stirred every 10-15 minutes. Be sure to stir all the way into the bottom of the pan so the base of the pudding doesn’t burn.

When the mixture reaches the desired consistency, turn the heat off. Allow it to cool at room temperature for 1 hour then refrigerate overnight.

Serve the pudding with a dusting of edible gold (optional) or a layer of varak (see Note), and a sprinkling of slivered almonds. Serve immediately.

Note

• Varak is edible silver foil used to garnish Indian sweets. 

Photography by Shayma Saadat from Spice Spoon.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.