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SHEER KHURMA

Sheer Khurma, though I had heard of this Dessert, the chance of eating it came across during my recent trip to Dubai. Though it looked more or less like Seviyan Kheer or our own Semiya Payasam, what made it look different was the consistency on the first hand. It was thick & creamy and loaded with dry Fruits & Nuts and laced with a wonderful note of Rose Water & Kewra.

It was a delectable delicacy and I loved the consistency, texture & flavour. Though, Firni/Phirni pops into my mind whenever I think of Eid, but this all-time classic Persian delicacy - Sheer Khurma, takes a special place when it comes to Ramadan or Eid al-Fitr. It is served as a breakfast dish after the Eid Morning Prayer and throughout the day to all the visiting guests.

In its original form, it consists of dates mixed with milk. As the name suggests, Sheer means Milk and Khurma means Dates in Persian, and how Vermicelli ended up in this dessert is a history. A history made with an Indian twist. It is modified in India by the addition of fried Vermicelli, alias Semiya.

The Arabian Peninsula is rich and abound of Dates and people would break their fast with Dates during Ramadan fasting. Dates play a significant role in the culture and hence a Dessert laden with Date cooked in milk is of no wonder as a matter of fact. It's an Eid-ul-fitr delight in all Muslim households.


SHEER KHURMA

This Sheer Khurma can be made in a traditional method where Milk is slow-cooked until it thickens. Another easy version is by cooking the Sheer Khurma with Condensed Milk, which makes the Kheer thicker & creamier and also sweetens the Kheer. This Sheer Khurma recipe is prepared in an authentic method, which calls for reducing and thickening the milk on a low flame. I have thickened the milk before adding Vermicelli and have slow-cooked it with Milk until it gets a creamy texture.

Dates being one of the main ingredients, it naturally enhances this dessert with its flavour & taste. Traditionally, in those days, Sheer Khurma was sweetened with just the dates and not sugar. Dates naturally enhance this delicacy, and it is highly nutritious and a complete meal.

Sheer Khurma is flavoured with Cardamom, Rose Water/Kewra Essence & Saffron Strands and elaborately garnished with slivered Nuts and Rose Petals. Slow cooking on a low flame gives a rich & creamy texture with an off-white hue to the Sheer Khurma with an additional note of aroma from the flavourings added and from the reduced milk. Sheer Khurma is usually served warm/chilled.

For more PAYASAMS, PRADHAMANS & KHEERS, Click here...

Cuisine - Persian
Recipe Type - Kheer/Pradhaman/Payasam, Dessert
Difficulty - Easy
Serves - 4- 6
Author - SM

Preparation Time - 5–10 Minutes
Cooking Time - 30 -45 Minutes

For more Recipes 'FOR THE SWEET TOOTH', Click here...

HOW TO MAKE SHEER KHURMA

SHEER KHURMA

INGREDIENTS:

For Sheer Khurma:

Ghee - 2 Tablespoons
Vermicelli - 1/3 Cup
Dates - 1/8 Cup
Milk - 4 Cups
Sugar - 4 - 6 Tablespoons
Cardamoms - 5 Pods.
Saffron - a Pinch (Optional)
Rose Water/Kewra Essence - a few Drops (Optional)

For Garnishing:

Almonds - Few
Pistachios - Few
Cashew Nuts - Few
Chironji - Few
Rose Petals - Few
Saffron Strands - Few

SHEER KHURMA

METHOD:

For Sheer Khurma:

Powder the Cardamoms into a fine powder and keep it aside.
Chop the Almonds, Pistachios, Cashew nuts & keep it aside.
Chop the Dates and keep it aside.
Soak Saffron strands in warm milk and keep it aside.
Boil the Milk mix on a medium-low flame, stirring it at intervals.
Once the Milk boils, reduce the flame to low and cook for another 20–25 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat Ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan, add the powdered Cardamom & give a quick stir.
Add the Chopped Nuts & Dates and Fry this on a very low flame for a few seconds.
Once the nuts are slightly roasted, remove half the amount of Nuts & Dates and keep
Immediately add the Vermicelli and fry this on a very low flame for a few minutes.
Stir it continuously and fry the Vermicelli until it turns to light golden colour.
Pour in the reduced Milk to the above and mix well
Boil the Milk & Vermicelli mix on a medium-low flame, stirring it at intervals.
Once the Milk boils, reduce the flame to low and cook for another 20–25 minutes.
Care should be taken that the mix does not scorch at the bottom.
The amount of Milk should have reduced, and the Vermicelli should be cooked well.
Add in the Sugar and mix well.
Drizzle the Kewra Essence/Rose Water, and give a quick stir.
Pour in the Saffron milk and mix well.
Cook the Sheer Khurma on a low flame until it reaches the desired consistency.
Switch off the flame and garnish with the remaining roasted nuts & dates.
Can Garnish Sheer Khurma with slivered Almonds, Pistachios, Cashew Nuts, Rose Petals or with Saffron Strands.
Serve it Hot or Chilled.

SHEER KHURMA

NOTES:

Frying the powdered Cardamoms in Ghee makes the Sheer Khurma aromatic.
Adding Saffron is purely optional.
Adding Kewra Essence is purely optional.
Adjust the amount of Sugar to suit your Sweet Tooth.
Adjust the consistency of Sheer Khurma to your preference.
The dessert tends to get thicker even after switching off.
Can serve Sheer Khurma hot or chilled, to suit your preference/climatic condition.
Garnish Sheer Khurma with preferred choice of Nuts, Rose Petals & Saffron strands.

FALOODA

Falooda, this recipe is what I have eaten it as Falooda. My recent mishap with understanding Falooda as the one & only Falooda Drink & the story of Kulfi Falooda.... Anyway, I have always loved to order Falooda and the last time I ate it was in Cochin in 2018. A tall glass of Falooda layered with Rose Syrup, Sabja Seeds in Milk based concoction, a few slices of Kulfi & garnished with copious amount of Nuts & more nuts. This tall glass of Falooda even made me skip my dinner and skipping a meal when in India is a big taboo according to me. The reason being, it would be the only time we would get a chance to succumb to our cravings with local delicacies. But this Falooda made me so full & satiated.

A Falooda recipe has taken its twists & turns and is catered in numerous versions with whims & fancies, it is one special Indian cold drink which masquerades itself as a Dessert too. This Falooda recipe is served as a cold drink layered with Rose Syrup, Sabja Seeds, Falooda Sev/Vermicelli, a thick milk base - sometimes Rose milk or sometimes a sweet thick concoction of Milk & sugar, some recipes even serve it with Rabri/Rabdi. This tall glass of cold drink can be served chilled topped with a hearty dollop of Ice cream/Kulfi. Garnishing Falooda also goes with the whims & fancies - you can garnish it with chopped nuts, dry fruits, fresh fruits, jelly, honey, saffron, rose petals etc., & etc.,

FALOODA

What is the difference between a Kulfi Falooda and a Falooda recipe is that, the Kulfi Falooda is more or less like a dessert which you can scoop out at eat. Whereas this Falooda is a cold drink with a flavoured Milk base. Whatsoever a Falooda recipe should be sinfully rich, decadent and utterly delicious. See... who is explaining the difference between both the recipes. Haa!!! Mistakes happen paa... and it is from where we learn too...

In this Falooda recipe, I have made it with Rose Milk base and have served it with Kulfi instead of Ice cream.

For KULFI FALOODA RECIPE, click here...

Cuisine - Iran(Mediterranean), Indian

Course - Dessert

Difficulty - Medium

Serves - 1

Author - SM

Preparation Time - 20 - 30 Minutes

Soaking Time - 30- 45 Minutes(Sabja Seeds)

Cooking Time - 7-10 Minutes(Vermicelli/Falooda Sev)

For more INDIAN SWEETS, click here...

LAYERS IN FALOODA DRINK

FALOODA

We need the following items to make a Falooda Drink:

ROSE SYRUP
FALOODA SEV
SABJA SEEDS
SWEETENED MILK BASE/ROSE MILK/RABRI/RABDI
KULFI/ICE CREAM
NUTS FOR GARNISHING

ROSE SYRUP:

ROSE SYRUP

First we would need a Rose Syrup to drizzle all over the base & the Rose Syrup gives a wonderful colour & flavour to this drink. You can use this Rose Syrup to make Rose Milk base.

FALOODA SEV -

FALOODA SEV

Falooda means ‘shredded’ in idiomatic Urdu & it refers to the thin Vermicelli/noodle like ingredient made out of corn flour, which is the integral part of Falooda. Make it from scratch, or we can easily get it incorporated with store-fought Falooda Sev, I was not in any way lucky to get hold of it. And my son was like, why don't you make it from scratch. Me with my lethargic attitude gave a wide smile, convinced him and finally settled with Vermicelli/Semiya. Whatsoever both the ingredients does total justice to the recipe. One main thing to keep in mind is to leave the cooked Falooda Sev/Vermicelli in cold water for a few minutes.

SABJA SEEDS -

SABJA SEEDS

The next ingredient we need are the Sabja Seeds/Sweet Basil Seeds/Tukhmaria. A long- awaited ingredient lying safely in my freezer since my last India trip which was in 2019. Soaked it up for about 30-45 minutes and there it was all the items ready to be catered for making a Kulfi Falooda. Soaking Sabja Seeds makes it edible & makes it easily digestible.

MILK BASE - The milk base needed for Falooda drink can be a simple milk & sugar based concoction or, we can get experimental by

ROSE MILK

RABRI/RABDI

VERMICELLI/SEMIYA PAYASAM

ROSE MILK: Making the Base with Rose Milk/Bandung.
RABRI/RABDI: Then if you love to serve Falooda in its utter rich version, then it would be perfect to serve it with Rabri/Rabdi.
VERMICELLI PAYASAM: Or, if you already have Vermicelli Payasam simply add is a base with other ingredients & there you are with a delicious Milk base & here you can also skip making Falooda Sev/Vermicelli.
SWEETENED MILK: Yet another quick-fix version would be to simply mix milk & condensed milk for the Milk base.

ICE CREAM/KULFI - Some Falooda Drink recipes are served topped with a big scoop of Ice Cream or with slices of Kulfi in it. But serving with Ice cream/kulfi are purely optional.

For more KULFI RECIPES, click here

NUTS - Serve Falooda garnished heartily with chopped nuts of your choice. I have used finely chopped Cashew Nuts, Almonds & Pistachios.

GARNISHING - You can get easy with the choice of garnishing a Falooda. Simply serve it with finely chopped nuts or can go to the extent of making it rich & decadent by adding a few strands of Saffron, Rose Petals etc., Some recipes serve Falooda with dry fruits, cut fresh fruits, jelly etc.,

Once all the items are ready, it is time to serve it. Falooda is a cold drink served in layers of Rose Syrup, Falooda Sev or Vermicelli, Sabja Seeds(Sweet Basil Seeds) in a Milk Base, & served topped with Ice Cream/Kulfi and garnished with nuts or dry fruits.