Sheer Khurma
A comforting vegetarian built around dry vermicelli, ghee and single cream — roughly 70 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 7 steps.
You'll mainly reach for frying pan / skillet and pan. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (9)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Soak the almonds in hot water for 10 minutes, then slip off the skins and slice them thinly, and pit and slice the dried dates.
- Heat the ghee in a heavy pan over low heat and gently fry the sliced almonds, halved cashews and raisins until the nuts are golden and the raisins plump up, then scoop them out and set aside.
- In the same ghee, break the vermicelli into short pieces and toast it over low heat, stirring constantly, until it turns a deep golden brown, taking care not to burn it.
- Pour in the milk, add the crushed cardamom seeds and the saffron, and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring often so the vermicelli does not stick to the base.
- Simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes until the vermicelli is soft and the milk has thickened slightly, then stir in the sugar and the sliced dates and cook for a further 3 minutes until the sugar dissolves.
- Stir in the cream and most of the fried nuts and raisins, and warm through for another minute without letting it boil hard.
- Serve the sheer khurma warm or chilled, scattered with the reserved fried nuts and raisins on top.
You'll use: Frying pan / skillet · Pan · Saucepan
Ingredient substitutions
- Milk
- any unsweetened plant milk · ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water
Tips & common questions
How long does Sheer Khurma take to make?
About 70 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 11 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of milk?
Try any unsweetened plant milk. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Sheer Khurma vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Sheer Khurma is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Sheer Khurma.jpg by Muhammad Adnan Asim linkadnan from North Nazimabad, Karachi 74700 ( Sindh ), Pakistan, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.