Shemai

Ingredients

Vermicelli

• 150 gfine shemai, or lachcha shemai, roasted flat vermicelli
• 3 tbspghee

Milk

• 1.5 litreswhole milk
• 150 gsugar, or to taste
• 150 mlcondensed milk, optional

Aromatics

• 5green cardamom pods, crushed
• 1small cinnamon stick
• 2bay leaves
• a pinch of salt

Nuts and fruit

• 50 galmonds, slivered
• 50 gpistachios
• 50 gcashews
• 50 graisins
• 8dried dates, sliced, optional

To finish

• 1 tsprosewater or kewra
• a pinch of saffron, optional

To serve

• on Eid morning, in small bowls

Directions

1. Fry the shemai in the ghee over a low heat until it turns a deep golden brown. Roast it properly to a real colour. It takes only 3 or 4 minutes and it colours suddenly at the end, so do not leave the pan.
2. Lift the vermicelli out and set it aside. Now fry the nuts in the same ghee until golden, then the raisins until they puff.
3. Fry each kind of nut separately, because they colour at different rates. Set them aside, keeping some back for the top. Use a heavy pan and stir often, because milk scorches on a thin base and a burnt note ruins the whole pot.
4. Reduce it to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring, until it has reduced by about a quarter. That reduction is what gives shemai its body, and rushing it leaves a thin, milky result.
5. Add the sugar and the condensed milk if using. Add sugar after the milk has reduced, because sugar makes milk catch on the base more readily. Now add the toasted vermicelli and cook for 4 to 6 minutes only.
6. Stir in most of the nuts, the raisins and the dates. Take it off the heat and add the rosewater. Add rosewater off the heat and sparingly, because its aroma boils away and too much makes the pot taste of soap. Let it stand off the heat for 10 minutes. Loosen it with hot milk when reheating.
7. Serve it warm in small bowls with the reserved nuts scattered over. It is also eaten cold, and both are normal, though Eid morning is usually warm.

Technique

• Lachcha shemai is the flat roasted ribbon version and is sold ready-toasted in packets.
• It is closely related to Pakistani sheer khurma, which uses dates more heavily.
• It keeps three days refrigerated.

Substitutions

• Ready-roasted vermicelli, which saves the toasting.
• Evaporated or condensed milk to shorten the reduction.

Variations

• Lachcha shemai, thicker and chewier.
• Made dry, with much less milk.
• With extra dates, closer to sheer khurma.

History

Toasted vermicelli in sweetened milk, cooked in every household on Eid morning; factory-made lachcha shemai is a major seasonal product.

Frequently asked questions

What is Shemai?

Shemai is a dessert from Bangladesh: sweet vermicelli in milk, essential for Eid mornings. Toasted vermicelli in sweetened milk, cooked in every household on Eid morning; factory-made lachcha shemai is a major seasonal product.

How long does Shemai take to make?

Shemai takes 10 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Shemai?

Yes, within limits. Ready-roasted vermicelli, which saves the toasting. Evaporated or condensed milk to shorten the reduction.

What is the most important thing to get right in Shemai?

Fry the shemai in the ghee over a low heat until it turns a deep golden brown. Roast it properly to a real colour. It takes only 3 or 4 minutes and it colours suddenly at the end, so do not leave the pan.