One of the first desserts that most Pakistani blogs share is seviyan, a vermicelli pudding. It’s a classic sub-continent sweet that emerges every Eid, so it’s only fair that it’s one of the first desserts that expat Pakistanis learn to make. What is great about seviyan is that because every household does it differently, there is no wrong way to prepare it. In essence, it is fried wheat vermicelli simmered in milk. There are however, dozens variations from household to household - from how long you decide to simmer the vermicelli in milk in to the choice of dry fruit.
The recipe shared below is my mother’s. My mother’s family is originally from Ludhiana in Eastern Punjab, India, and they migrated to Jhelum in Pakistan during Partition. My mother grew up in, and spent most of her life in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The recipe shared below therefore, has very strong Punjabi roots. I would love to hear how about how your family prepares it, and where they are from.
Most of my mother’s family recipes are quite simple. It’s in part a reflection of her childhood and upbringing. She was one of eight and so her mother, my nani jan, did not have the bandwidth for extremely time consuming, layered recipes. But her dishes still hit all the right traditional notes, as they do with this simple seviyan recipe.
This recipe can be seen as a basic template for seviyan. It only utilizes the core set of ingredients: vermicelli, milk, sugar and cardamom. You can always add additional layers to give the dish more depth – saffron, more dry fruit etc. Some households prefer to have their seviyan simmered in milk for a long time, making the vermicelli soft. My mother and I prefer it to have some bite so we don’t let it cook for that long. I also am a little conservative with my choice of dry fruit and prefer to stick with almonds but you feel free to play around.
Seviyan (Vermicelli Pudding)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon canola oil or ghee
- 6 cardamom pods
- 1 packet of seviyan, approximately 150 gram (vermicelli noodles, available in specialty Indian/Pakistani grocery stores)
- 2 liters whole milk
- ¾ cup sugar
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large stockpot. Once it begins to shimmer, add cardamom pods and fry for about 30 seconds.
- Add vermicelli. On medium heat, fry vermicelli till it browns slightly, approximately 2 – 2/1/2 minutes.
- Lower heat, slowly add milk and then, bring to a boil. Add sugar and stir till it dissolves.
- When the milk begins to bubble, lower heat and keep stirring till you get the desired texture, about 15 - 20 minutes. The milk should thicken and the sawaiyyan should retain some bite.
- Place in serving bowl and let it cool at room temperature. Top with slivered almonds.
Svet Tour.Com says
salaams.. thank u so much for the recipes. would like to know what i can substitute instead of evaporated milk dnt have that ?thank u
pakistaneats says
Hello! You just need regular plain milk that you need to cook down. Hope this helps.
Maha says
Hi there. Would I get a good result if using regular vermicelli instead (not quite as fine as the one called for in your recipe)?
Thank You
pakistaneats says
Hi! So it should be vermicelli that is made out of flour, not the one that's made out of rice. Hope that's helpful.
Dennis Yannakos says
What a brilliant idea! It looks exceptional! Thank you for the recipe, I gonna try it soon!
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Terry says
My neighbor shared debutant with our family. I am so happy to find this recipe! It is delicious!
Terry says
I meant to say seviyan
Marcia says
I think that Guyana's Vamazelli was originaled from this recipe, as They have many decendents from India. I thought ir was from Italy, as italians are spaghetti lovers. As a kid My mom would make Vamazelli for us, we loved it. Later on My family migrated to a spanish speaking country where sweet spaghetti is an imposible. But I kept My traditions and My kids love Vamazelli.
pakistaneats says
That's fascinating. I had no idea about this Guyanese dish - thanks for sharing!
Jangle65 says
How many people does this recipe serve?
Samina says
I love this recipe and make it every year for Eid!
Jacob says
A favourite in my mother’s repertoire of desserts. This recipe is an authentic seviyan recipe with scope for improvising on the choice of dried fruit and nuts. Excellent.
Sam says
Can I use vermicelli made out of sooji? I bought a vermicelli from a Sri Lankan store. It is white in colour. Will it become brown if I roast it? Is 100gms enough for 4 servings?
pakistaneats says
Hi Sam - yes, you can use vermicelli made out of suji. It will brown but it may take a bit longer and the final texture will be a bit different. 100 grams should definitely be enough for 4 servings. Good luck!
Abz says
Interesting when I search it up it says it's a Bengali dessert, not pakistani.
pakistaneats says
It's also very popular in Pakistan 🙂
Mamta says
I will definitely try. Can you give us the measurements of vermicelli in cups?
Thanks.
James says
2 litres has taken over an hour and a half to boil down a slightly less watery, but still watery, mix. Are you sure it's 2 litres!?
pakistaneats says
Hi James - yes, I have made the recipe several times. Once removed from heat, it thickens with time and even more so when placed in the fridge.