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Seviyan (Vermicelli Pudding)

October 9, 2020 by Maryam Jillani 5 Comments

seviyan-landscape
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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.

seviyan-angle

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.

seviyan-vertical

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)

Seviyan, a vermicelli pudding, is a popular Pakistani dessert that nearly every family prepares dutifully on Eid.
5 from 1 vote
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Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 20 mins
Course Dessert

Ingredients
  

  • 4 tbsp 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
  • 3/4 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.

Notes

There are many variations to sawaiyyan. Many like to cook it for a lot longer (one hour or more). In my home, we like it when sawaiyyan still have some bite and so prefer not to cook them too much. Play around with the recipe and see what you like!

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Svet Tour.Com

    April 04, 2020 at 1:45 am

    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

    Reply
    • pakistaneats

      April 05, 2020 at 8:08 am

      Hello! You just need regular plain milk that you need to cook down. Hope this helps.

      Reply
  2. Maha

    June 24, 2020 at 10:13 pm

    5 stars
    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

    Reply
    • pakistaneats

      June 25, 2020 at 1:56 pm

      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.

      Reply
  3. Dennis Yannakos

    October 15, 2020 at 5:08 am

    What a brilliant idea! It looks exceptional! Thank you for the recipe, I gonna try it soon!
    Kitchen Utensils

    Reply

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About Me

Hi! I'm Maryam, a food writer and enthusiastic home cook, excited to share traditional but accessible Pakistani recipes. Read More…

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