By Kausar Ahmed, The New York Times
The night before Eid al-Fitr, the festival of breaking the Ramadan fast, markets in Karachi, Pakistan, bustle with preparations. This evening, which this year falls on Saturday, is known as Chand Raat, or the sighting of the moon, and is filled with last-minute shopping, intricate henna applications and, of course, cooking.
Among the many delicacies on the Eid trolley of sweet and savory, sheer khorma remains a classic. Each cook has a style of making the creamy pudding, with ghee-fried vermicelli simmered in sweet milk, cloves, cardamom and fried slivered nuts. Sometimes it’s thin and soupy, and other times, it’s caramelized until thick.
Traditionally, sheer khorma’s preparation starts days before Eid: Milk must be ordered from the doodh wala (milkman); nuts need to be boiled, peeled and thinly sliced by hand. On either Chand Raat or the morning of Eid, the aroma of cardamom and toasted vermicelli, the first sweet scent of celebration, fills homes.
Bowls of sheer khorma are beautifully arranged, then served to men returning from Eid prayers, shared with neighbors in a gesture of hospitality and connection, and placed on the Eid trolley for guests to partake. While some families do cook for days, others prioritize convenience.
Sarah Karim, a facilitator, consultant and mother of two in Seattle, opts for prepackaged mixes to “keep the tradition alive,” she said, adding, “it’s quick” — they take only 15 minutes to prepare — “easy and a great way to share my culture with friends celebrating Eid with us.”
Because the store-bought mixes don’t taste as fresh as homemade, some cooks add their own touches. Ambreen Maniar, an avid cook and homemaker based in Karachi, who’s been using prepackaged sheer khorma for 30 years, adds extra vermicelli, also known as seviyan, and condensed milk.
Other home cooks insist on from-scratch methods. “No packaged ones at all: blanched and chopped nuts, milk, sugar and seviyan — the traditional way,” said Sadia Aziz, an educator in Karachi. There’s something special about stirring the milk, toasting the vermicelli and slicing the nuts by hand.
Though some find that process daunting, it can be straightforward — and streamlined. Nuts can be blanched and sliced days in advance. If there isn’t time to blanch nuts, store-bought blanched almonds can be soaked in hot water for a minute, and raw pistachios can simply be chopped before frying. Butter or oil can replace ghee, and 2 cups of milk swapped in for heavy cream to reduce cook time. (Shireen Anwar, a celebrity chef in Pakistan, adds evaporated milk for extra richness to achieve the perfect creaminess.)
Like all customs, the ways of making sheer khorma evolve. Whether prepared by a grandmother meticulously slicing nuts, a busy mother stirring a store-bought mix or a Gen Z cook experimenting with nondairy milk, its essence — a shared moment, a taste of home — lingers.
But the from-scratch process is worth trying: It may bring back memories, and it definitely will create new ones to cherish.
Recipe: Sheer Khorma (Cardamom Vermicelli Pudding)
Essential to Eid celebrations across South Asia, the tradition of preparing this dish is unique to each household. They all result in a creamy pudding, with ghee-fried vermicelli simmered in sweet milk, cloves, cardamom and fried slivered nuts. Stirring the blend in a heavy pot ensures even heat distribution to develop a creamy, almost caramelized texture. The value of blanching and slivering nuts is to achieve a crispness that far exceeds that of nuts left with their skins on. A splash of fragrant kewra water brings the dessert together, its delicate floral notes enhancing the pudding’s richness.
By Kausar Ahmed
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Total time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons raw almonds
- 2 tablespoons shelled raw unsalted pistachios
- 1 tablespoon charoli (chirongi) nuts or more almonds (see Tips below)
- 4 green cardamom pods
- 2 tablespoons ghee or unsalted butter
- 4 whole cloves
- 3/4 cup/60 grams seviyan (dried wheat vermicelli), broken into small pieces (see Tips)
- 5 cups whole milk, warmed
- 3/4 cup/150 grams sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon kewra water (see Tips)
Preparation
1. Simply chop the almonds and pistachios (see Tips) or blanch the almonds and pistachios by pouring boiling water over them in a heat-safe bowl until fully covered. Let them sit for 1 minute, then strain and transfer them to a bowl of cold or ice water. Once cooled, gently rub them between your fingers to remove the skins. Peel promptly, as the skins become more challenging to remove if left too long. Slice the nuts into thin slivers. Mix the chopped or slivered almonds and pistachios with the charoli nuts and set aside.
2. Using a mortar and pestle or the flat side of a chef’s knife, lightly crack the cardamom pods to release their aroma.
3. Heat the ghee over medium heat in a medium Dutch oven or heavy saucepan. Once melted, add the nuts and fry for 1 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly to ensure even browning and prevent burning. Turn off the heat, then use a slotted spoon to transfer the nuts to a small plate, leaving the ghee in the pot.
4. Turn the heat on medium and add the cloves and cracked cardamom to the ghee. Let them bloom, releasing their fragrance, for 4 to 5 seconds. Add the vermicelli and cook, stirring constantly, until deep golden and toasted, 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Slowly pour in the milk, stirring constantly. Increase the heat to high, and once the milk begins to simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sugar and mix well. Reserve a teaspoon of the nuts for garnish and add the remaining to the pot. Let the sheer korma cook on low, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom and burning, until it thickens to a creamy, mildly caramelized consistency, 25 to 35 minutes. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
6. Turn off the heat and stir in the ground cardamom and kewra water (if using). Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately, or let it cool, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container for up to a week. Garnish with the reserved nuts right before serving.
Tips
Chirongi nuts, sometimes also labeled chironji or charoli nuts, have a mildly sweet, nutty flavor similar to almonds. The soft seeds resemble pine nuts and are eaten raw or toasted. Like all nuts, they’re versatile and enhance sweet and savory dishes. Add them to salads or grind them and stir into gravies to thicken. You can find them at South Asian grocery stores or online. Slivered almonds or finely chopped cashews make good substitutes.
Blanching and peeling nuts is a common technique in South Asian cuisine. The nuts are used in desserts and savory dishes, such as korma and biryani. Blanched nuts are easier to slice, provide a cleaner bite than those with skins on, and develop a deeper, nuttier flavor when fried.
Seviyan are thin, delicate vermicelli noodles essential for sheer khorma and other South Asian desserts. They are made from wheat flour and have a soft texture that absorbs flavors while holding their shape. You can find them at South Asian grocery stores and online. Even if the package labels them as toasted vermicelli, it’s essential to toast them in ghee to enhance their flavor and aroma. Since seviyan have a distinct texture and flavor, there’s no perfect substitute. Other vermicelli noodles will work but won’t yield the same results due to their firm structure. If you have a packet of leftover seviyan, seal and refrigerate it for a longer shelf life, up to a year.
Kewra water is an extract distilled from pandanus flowers. Like rose water, it is a transparent liquid, but has a milder aroma and flavor. It is commonly used in traditional Pakistani desserts and savory dishes like korma and biryani. You can find it at South Asian grocery stores or online. If unavailable, rose or orange blossom water can be substituted in smaller amounts, as they have more pungent aromas.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.