Sheer Khurma

Sheer Khurma

To Start off  my Blog ,I want my first post to be something Sweet.Nowadays  I am seeing an advertisement of cadbury's where in  it says " kuch shub kaam shuru kerne se pehle meetha khana chahiye....Kaam acha hota hai ".
   So here I am with a sweet "Sheer Khurma" ...

Sheer Korma or Sheer Khurma, in Urdu, literally means "Milk with Dates". This is a very special festival sweet or vermicelli pudding, necessarily made on the auspicious occasion of Eid ul Fitr by Muslims in South Asian countries especially in India, Pakistan and Middle East. It is a traditional Muslim festive, breakfast, sweet dish also served as dessert, for Eid celebrations at the end of the Holy month of Ramadan. This festive and traditional sweet consists or "Sheer" or sweetened milk and "khurma" or dried dates and dried fruits and is delicately flavored with cardamom and sometimes saffron. It is a very popular Eid dessert in Hyderabad in India, Pakistan, Arab countries and Asia.

      This special Eid sweet dish is served to family, relatives and friends soon after the morning prayers offered on Eid, on the last day of the Holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims rejoice the end of the fasting period. It is a common breakfast sweet eaten to celebrate the happy occasion and is also served throughout the day to guests who visit your home to offer Eid greetings. It is usually made in large quantities and eaten for days after Eid as well. The Eid celebrations are considered incomplete without eating and serving traditional Sheer Khurma.

Ingredients

1 cup vermicelli

4 cups full cream milk

1 cup suger

3 tbsps ghee /clarified butter

2 tbsps chopped pistachios

2 tbsps chopped raisins

2 tbsps chopped almonds

2 tbsps chopped cashews

2 tbsps dried coconut

2 tbsps chopped dried dates

1/4 tbsps kevara essence

1/4 tbsps cardamom powder.

Directions

**   In a medium heavy saucepan, heat milk and let it simmer on low heat until it is reduced to half  

       the     quantity, that means 2 cups.

**  Heat ghee/clarified butter in a large heavy bottomed saucepan, over medium heat.

**  Add the vermicelli to the hot fat and fry it for 3-4 minutes until fragrant and evenly browned.

** Now add pistachios,almonds,cashews ,coconut,raisins and dates and fry the mixture for 2      minutes.

**  Pour in the warm reduced milk and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently.

**  Add sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves completely.

**  Stir in kevera essence and cardamon powder just before taking the pan off the heat.

         Serve this traditional Eid-ul-Fitr sweet hot or cold.

Welcome to Love @ First Bite !!!!!


"Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it."
                        Julia Child


What could be more perfect and inspiring than this quote from renowned cookbook author Julia Child, who introduced French cooking to common man in her own simple and yet dramatic way.




And it is so true. When one discovers what he is passionate about and keeps it interesting by getting better at it day by day, is what makes them happy in true sense. So what is my passion? Cooking!




It all started when I was a child. I grew up watching my mother scribbling down paragraphs in her own little diary and neatly saving articles cut from the women magazines borrowed from local library. I always wondered what secrets it held, until I laid my hands on it. Lo and behold! It had numerous cooking recipes and notes on how to prepare whole gamut of delicacies. And I followed the suit by adding to the legacy I chanced upon. I still remember my father being questioned by the librarian about the missing pages when he returned those magazines and to his surprise he had no clue ;).




The journey had begun. I started experimenting with these recipes and the new ones. Gathering ingredients and substituting when not available, improvising with each try. My only critics were my parents, who were very supportive and gulped down all my creations. After marriage, the onus is now on my dear hubby.




After being introduced to the vast world of internet and blogging, I continued to surf various recipes online. Finding out and reading what others have to offer and adding these to my basket. Although there is no dearth of food blogs out there, this is just my humble try at documenting my version of the wonderful recipes that I have learnt all these years.




So welcome to my Virtual Kitchen where I talk about my love and obsession about food and cooking.

Bon Appétit!