Semiya Payasam (Vermicelli Kheer) | Easy Indian Dessert
Semiya Payasam (Vermicelli Kheer) is a classic Indian dessert made with vermicelli (seviyan), milk, sugar, nuts, and cardamom in under 20 minutes. You can serve this sweet hot, warm, or chilled. People prepare this vermicelli pudding during Indian festivals, Christmas, and special occasions like weddings, anniversaries, and birthday parties.
Servings: 4
Calories: 277kcal
Equipment
- Pot
Ingredients
- ½ cup Vermicelli (60g) pre-roasted semiya
- 2 tablespoon Ghee divided
- 3 ½ to 4 cups Whole Milk
- ¼ cup Sugar additional 1 to 2 tablespoon only if needed, adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder
- 8 to 10 strands Saffron optional
- 2 tablespoon Cashews , chopped (you can substitute it with almonds, pistachios)
- 1 tablespoon Raisins
Instructions
How to make vermicelli kheer?
- Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a pan. Add cashews and sauté until golden. Add raisins and sauté for a few more seconds. Transfer it to a plate.2 tbsp Ghee, 2 tbsp Cashews , 1 tbsp Raisins
- In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of ghee. Add roasted vermicelli and sauté for a few seconds.2 tbsp Ghee, ½ cup Vermicelli (60g)
- Add whole milk and bring the roasted vermicelli to a boil on medium-low flame. Stir often to prevent burning on the bottom. Scrape the sides and put it back in the kheer. This will make it richer and creamier.3 ½ to 4 cups Whole Milk
- Continue cooking until the vermicelli softens and is cooked through.
- Add sugar and mix well until dissolved.¼ cup Sugar
- Add cardamom and/or saffron and roasted nuts, and mix well. Switch off the flame.½ tsp Cardamom powder, 8 to 10 strands Saffron
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 cashews, raisins and saute till it turns light golden. Transfer this to plate.
- Add another 1 tablespoon of ghee or butter, add vermicelli, and 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.
Video
Notes
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Use pre-roasted semiya, red rice, or regular rice vermicelli, ragi, or even other millet noodles. If using non-roasted vermicelli, roast it to get a nutty taste and traditional texture.
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You can also add almonds and pistachios.
- For runny payasam, use 5 cups of milk. Adjust the milk based on the consistency you like for your kheer.
- Use wheat, semolina, rice, or millet vermicelli.
- 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 either case, adjust the sugar accordingly.
- Whole milk makes this dessert rich. But you can also use skim milk or fat-free or low-fat milk.
- Cooking time for semiya or seviyan varies by brand. Check the package instructions
- To make kheer vegan, sauté nuts in vegan butter and use dairy-free milk like almond, soy, or coconut.
Nutrition
Calories: 277kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 85mg | Potassium: 393mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 356IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 268mg | Iron: 1mg