COOKING HOUR: Semiya Payasam | Vermicelli Kheer

Semiya Payasam is a tasty, popular dessert made by simmering milk with roasted vermicelli, flavoured with cardamom and garnished with ghee roasted cashews & raisins. Semiya Payasam Recipe is the easiest of all payasam / kheer and could be made in minutes with the commonly available ingredients at home. Semiya Payasam is presented here regular & custard powder added version with step by step pictures and video.

Semiya Payasam is commonly made on festive days like New Year, Amavasaya and on special occasions like Birthday, Anniversary and family get-togethers. Semiya Payasam resembles can be tasted in Falooda and Seviyan Kheer.

About Semiya Payasam

Semiya is the South Indian Name of Vermicelli which is a type of pasta originated from Italy. Semiya got popular in South India with its taste & variety of dishes that could be prepared in minutes. Payasam is kheer / pudding made by cooking rice or dal or semiya with milk, sugar & nuts. Semiya Payasam recipe is an effortless alternate to paruppu payasam, rice kheer & ada pradhaman.

Semiya Payasam is a yummy, noodle dessert that could be enjoyed either hot or cold. Semiya Payasam is my go to payasam when I prepare grand meals on special occasions & religious festivals and when I have to prepare a dessert in large quantities. Semiya Payasam is kids favorite payasam given the noodle texture & looks!

Semiya Payasam – Regular Version & Custard Version

Regular Version – Semiya / Vermicelli is roasted, cooked until soft in milk & flavoured with cardamom, dried fruits & nuts for regular Semiya Payasam.
Custard Version – For a more flavourful & creamy semiya payasam, I have infused custard powder in milk in the regular making of semiya payasam. Custard Version of Semiya Payasam tastes best when chilled & served. Vanilla flavour & the creaminess of the custard powder will make the payasam a family favourite dessert.

Semiya Payasam Ingredients

Semiya : I have used store bought unroasted semiya variety for this recipe. Semiya is made with maida or rava (hard wheat / semolina) as ingredients and in long & broken versions. Choose the one you prefer or the available variety.
Milk : Use fresh full cream milk that is not skimmed or toned or processed. However if you do not have access to fresh milk, even toned milk would do.
Sugar : I have used the regular sugar for making Semiya Payasam. You can alternate sugar with jaggery powder, jaggery syrup, cane sugar and make sure to increase the quantity accordingly.

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Semiya Payasam | Vermicelli Kheer

Calories

Author Sharmilee J

Ingredients

1 cup vermicelli semiya
1 and 1/2 cups water
4 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
15 nos cashews
1 tbsp raisins

Instructions

Heat 2 tsp ghee, add 12-15 nos cashews.
Fry until golden, remove to a plate and set aside.
Add 1 tbsp raisins to the same pan. Fry until it bubbles up and is golden in color. Transfer to the plate and set aside.
Now add 1 cup vermicelli. I used unroasted variety so roasted it. If you have roasted vermicelli skip this step.
Roast until reddish golden. Transfer to another plate and set aside.
Boil 1 and 1/2 cup water until rolling boil.
Now add roasted vermicelli to it.
Give a quick mix.
Cook covered until 85% done it may take just 2-3 mins so keep an eye.
Meanwhile boil 4 cups ir 1 litre milk. Use full cream milk.
Simmer 3-5 mins. Switch off.
Vermicelli is 3/4th done.
Now add boiled milk.
Cook for 2 mins.
Add 1/2 cup sugar to it.
Give a quick mix.
Cook for few more mins until vermicelli starts to float on top and the kheer is creamy.
Add 1/4 tsp cardamom powder, fried cashews and raisins.
Give a quick mix and switch off.

Video

Notes

I like the semiya being cooked in milk itself which gives a nice creamy taste to the payasam but alternatively you can cook in water then add milk.
You can even reduce sugar to 1/2 cup if you are not much sweet toothed.
You can also use saffron(1tsp) and condensed milk(1 tbsp) for richer taste.
You can add any nuts of your choice.Skip raisins if you do not prefer it.
Adding a pinch of salt lifts up the sweetness.
Switch off the semiya payasam bit runny as it gets thicker with time.
If it thickens after sometime, you can add little hot water / milk to thin the consistency.

Semiya Payasam Recipe Step by Step

1.Heat 2 tsp ghee, around 15 nos cashews.

2.Fry until golden, remove to a plate and set aside.

3.Add 1 tbsp raisins to the same pan. Fry until it bubbles up and is golden in color. Transfer to the plate and set aside.

4.Now add 1 cup vermicelli. I used unroasted variety so roasted it. If you have roasted vermicelli skip this step.

5.Roast until reddish golden. Transfer to another plate and set aside.

6.Boil 1 and 1/2 cup water until rolling boil.

7.Now add roasted vermicelli to it.

8.Give a quick mix.

9.Cook covered until 85% done it may take just 2-3 mins so keep an eye.

10.Meanwhile boil 4 cups ir 1 litre milk. Use full cream milk.

11.Simmer 3-5 mins. Switch off.

12.Vermicelli is 3/4th done. Cook only 3/4 th else while cooking in milk semiya will get mushy.

13.Now add boiled milk.

14.Cook for 2 mins.

15.Add 1/2 cup sugar to it.

16.Give a quick mix.

17.Cook for few more mins until vermicelli starts to float on top and the kheer is creamy.

18.Add 1/4 tsp cardamom powder, fried cashews and raisins.

19.Give a quick mix and switch off. Make sure while switching off it should be slightly runny as the consistency will get thicker after sometime.

Rich creamy semiya payasam ready!

Expert Tips

Cook semiya until 3/4 th in water then add cook in milk which gives it a rich adn creamy payasam.
Adding a pinch of salt lifts up the sweetness.
Switch off the semiya payasam bit runny as it gets thicker with time.
If it thickens after sometime, you can add little hot water / milk to thin the consistency.

Variations

Apart from the variation of adding custard powder to the semiya payasam, you can try the below variations as well

Add Javvarisi / sago after soaking it for a minimum of 2hrs along with semiya for Javvarisi Semiya Payasam
You can also use 1/2 tsp saffron and 2 tbsp condensed milk for richer taste.
You can add nuts like almond, cashew, pista, after powdering them coarsely or cutting into small pieces.
You can flavour with coco powder for a chocolaty Semiya Payasam
You can crush and add saffron at the last stage and give a quick stir.

Serving Suggestions

Enjoy Semiya Payasam as a dessert after meal hot or cold as per your preference. Refrigerate for later use within next day.

FAQs

1.What is Semiya Payasam?

Semiya Payasam is a tasty, popular dessert made by simmering milk with roasted vermicelli, flavoured with cardamom and garnished with ghee roasted cashews & raisins.

2.How do you make Semiya Payasam?

Roast the semiya till it is golden brown
Cook semiya in water until it is 3/4th cooked. Then add milk, let it boil.
Add sugar, flavours, nuts, dry fruits based on your preference
Enjoy Semiya Payasam when it gets to thick and creamy consistency.

3.Can I use toned milk?

Use full cream milk sourced fresh, however, if you do not have access to it you can use the regular toned milk.

4.Should I get roasted or unroasted semiya for making Semiya Payasam?

Unroasted long vermicelli is preferred for making Semiya Payasam. However, you can make with roasted & broken vermicelli / semiya as well.

How is Seviyan Kheer different from Semiya Payasam?

Both Seviyan Kheer and Semiya Payasam are more or less the same except that Seviyan Kheer is flavoured with dry fruits and a special fine vermicelli is used for Seviyan kheer.

Custard Semiya Payasam

Custard Semiya Payasam is with the addition of custard powder along with vermicelli scooked in milk. This payasam is so flavorful and creamy.

When I was in chennai a month back, my younger cousin sister made lunch for us which was so good and for dessert she served this semiya custard payasam which tasted so good and when I saw mittu relishing it I immediately asked her for the recipe.This is a great idea to make the payasam thick by adding custard powder and it gives a nice flavour too.Otherwise we need to simmer for more time to make the payasam thick and creamy.

Mittu gave the idea of adding sprinklers to this payasam.

Ingredients

3/4 cup fine vermicelli
1 and 1/2 cups + 1 tbsp milk
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp ghee
1.5 tsp vanilla flavoured custard powder
1 cup water
sprinklers or chopped nuts for garnish

Custard Semiya Payasam

Take milk in a sauce pan, boil for 3-5mins.Set aside to cool.
Heat ghee and roast vermicelli until golden.Now add water.
Cook until it becomes cooked(soft).Drain excess water.
Heat it up and add sugar.Cook for a minute.
Add milk and cook in low flame for atleast 5 mins.
In a small bowl add custard powder,add milk mix well without any lumps.
Add the custard mixture and cook until it is starts to thicken,Switch off.It will thicken after cooling so switch off accordingly.