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Sheer Khurma, also known as creamy vermicelli pudding, is a delectable dessert prepared during different festivals and special occasions. The dessert is known as ‘Seviyan Kheer’ in Maharashtra. The pudding is famous all over India, and the preparation style varies as the regions differ. I prefer the texture of fine vermicelli over a thick one for preparing the dessert. I believe the texture is smooth & perfect when you use fine vermicelli.

In this recipe, I’ve used Erythritol, a zero-calorie sugar alternative to cane sugar. It’s naturally found in some foods and tastes sweet. Erythritol is also a human-made substitute since 1990, and a lot of information about it is available online. I prefer Erythritol’s sweetness over other artificial sweeteners like stevia. It doesn’t have an artificial taste like Stevia or Splenda and blends well with the pudding; however, it leaves a slightly minty feeling (not the taste) when used in baking.

WHO and the FDA approved Erythritol several years ago. It’s ‘OK’ for the people with diabetes as it doesn’t get absorbed in the blood. Erythritol breaks down before it gets to your colon. Generally, people handle it better than other sugar alcohols; it doesn’t come with any warnings. (Note: This is not medical advice, please consult your doctor before using erythritol.)

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INGREDIENTS

• One cup fine and roasted wheat vermicelli.
  (Don’t tightly pack the cup while measuring vermicelli. Fine and roasted wheat vermicelli is available in the majority of Indian grocery stores.)
• 3 to 4 cups of whole milk.
  (I prefer to use A2, high-fat milk for this recipe for the rich and creamy texture).
• 6-7 raw almonds.
• 5-6 raw unsalted & unroasted cashews.
• 10 to 12 raw pistachios.
• 5 tbsp erythritol.
  (If you’re not watching sugar intake, please use regular cane sugar for the recipe. I don’t like my desserts to be overly sweet, so I used 4 tbsp regular cane sugar for this proportion. Please adjust the sugar quantity as per preference.)
• 2 tsp ghee (clarified butter.)
• Optionally, 3 large seedless dates.
• Optionally, 3 tbsp khoya, aka milk solids.
  (I used homemade. It’s widely available in Indian grocery stores. Milk solids make the kheer rich, thick, and creamy.)
• 1/4 tsp of ground cardamom.
• Optionally, a few drops of rosewater.

(Note: Erythritol saves about 192 calories in this recipe. If you want to reduce the pudding’s calories further, reduce ghee’s quantity, and skip Khoya. You can skip dried fruits as well.)

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RECIPE

• Coarsely chop almonds, cashews, and pistachios.
• Roughly chop dates.
• Heat ghee in a wok and let it melt.
• Fry nuts in the ghee, as shown in picture #3.
• Next, add broken vermicelli and roast in ghee for a couple of minutes.
• Add roughly chopped dates, mix well, and sauté for a minute.

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• Pour milk and add khoya in the wok as shown in picture #5
• Next, add sugar or a sweetener of your choice and stir well.

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• It takes 8 to 10 minutes for vermicelli to cook on a medium to high flame.
• Let the milk come to a boil, as shown in picture #6.
• Optional step | Add cardamom and rosewater.
• Next, cook the vermicelli in the milk for another 2 to 3 minutes and turn off the heat.
• Transfer the pudding/kheer/sheer khurma in a serving pot, garnish with finely chopped nuts, and dig-in.

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You can serve this vermicelli pudding warm or chilled. The pudding thickens as it cools down. I like to add little milk while serving to adjust the consistency.

Processed wheat’s glycemic index is high. If you’re not allowed to consume high glycemic food, use steel-cut oats or rolled oats to reduce the dessert’s glycemic index. Cooking time will differ depending on the type of oats used. Alternatively, you can use finger millet vermicelli for the pudding. Finger millets vermicelli is gluten free and has a low glycemic index. (Note: This is not medical advice.)