Semiya Payasam Recipe | Vermicelli Kheer - Easy Indian Dessert
Semiya Payasam or Vermicelli Kheer is a classic, easy-to-make, and popular Indian dessert recipe made with vermicelli (seviyan), milk, sugar, nuts, and cardamom or saffron in less than 20 minutes. This vermicelli pudding is prepared for Indian festivals and special occasions. Both stovetop and instant pot instructions are added.
Servings: 4
Calories: 273kcal
Equipment
- Pot
Ingredients
- ½ cup Vermicelli (60g) Red rice, wheat, semolina or any vermicelli of your choice
- 2 tablespoon Ghee
- 2 ½ to 3 cups Whole Milk
- ¼ cup Sugar (adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder
- 8 to 10 strands Saffron
- 1 tablespoon Almonds , chopped (you can substitute it with cashews, pistachios or raisins)
Instructions
How to make Kheer or Payasam? (stovetop)
- Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a pan. If you are already using pre-roasted vermicelli, skip this step. Otherwise, add vermicelli or semiya and roast till light golden and aromatic on medium flame. Keep sautéing during the process so that you do not burn them.2 tablespoon Ghee, ½ cup Vermicelli (60g)
- Add whole milk and bring the roasted vermicelli to a boil on medium to low flame. Keep stirring to avoid any burning at the bottom.2 ½ to 3 cups Whole Milk
- Continue to cook till the vermicelli becomes soft and is cooked through.
- Add sugar (adjust to taste), cardamom powder, and saffron (kesar) and continue to cook on low flame till the sugar has dissolved completely, and the payasam thickens to the desired consistency. Switch off the flame.¼ cup Sugar, ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder, 8 to 10 strands Saffron
- In a small pan, heat 1 tablespoon ghee. Add almonds (and/or cashews, pistachios) and sauté till light golden. Switch off the flame. Add it to the kheer and mix well.1 tablespoon Almonds, 2 tablespoon Ghee
- Serve and enjoy.
Semiya Payasam instant pot
- Even before you start, make sure your instant pot is clean and dry to avoid milk from curdling. Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot. Add 1 tablespoon of ghee or butter to the steel insert. When it melts, add almonds, and saute till it turns light golden. Transfer this to plate.
- Add another 1 tablespoon of ghee or butter, add vermicelli, and roast till it becomes light golden in color. If already roasted then simply fry for 30 seconds.
- Add 3 cups milk, sugar, cardamom powder, saffron. Press cancel and stir well. Close IP with lid and pressure valve should be in sealing position.
- Press the porridge button and set the timer to 6 minutes. Wait for the pressure to release naturally for 6 minutes then manually release.
- Simmer on sauté mode if you feel the kheer is runny and cook for another 2 minutes. Remember this kheer thickens as it cools down so do not thicken it a lot here.
Notes
- Use any vermicelli of your choice.
- I have added only almonds today. Use any dry fruit combination of your choice. I love to add cashews and raisins, too.
- For a rich kheer, use full-fat milk. This kheer thickens as it cools down. You can thin it down with milk to keep the richness, or else use water. In both cases, adjust sugar accordingly.
- Whole milk makes this dessert rich. But you can also use skim milk or fat-free or low-fat milk.
- The time to cook semiya or seviyan varies for each brand. Check the package instructions. Thin vermicelli needs just 1 minute on the instant pot to cook.
- Vary the amount of sweetness as desired.
- Depending on how you want your kheer to be – thick or thin, you can vary the amount of vermicelli or milk in the recipe.
- Also, pasta lovers, feel free to use angel hair or spaghetti pasta instead of vermicelli to make this kheer.
- To make kheer vegan, sauté nuts in vegan butter and use dairy-free milk like almond, soy, or coconut.
Nutrition
Calories: 273kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 96mg | Potassium: 318mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 389IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 201mg | Iron: 1mg