Semiya Kesari / Vermicelli Kesari recipe – a quick and easy South Indian style dessert using vermicelli. This simple and delicious sweet dish can be made in minutes and requires just a few ingredients.
Semiya refers to vermicelli or seviyan. This tasty sweet dish is prepared using vermicelli, sugar and ghee as the main ingredients. The addition of cardamom gives a nice flavor to it. Finally the kesari is topped off with nuts which give a nice crunch as well as richness to the dessert.
While most Indian desserts have milk added, this dish is made without milk.
I love the simplicity of this dessert. The best part is, it doesn’t need much preparation.
It is one of the easiest sweet recipes that you can prepare for festivals or if you are looking for a quick sweet treat at other times.
I have used food color in the kesari. You can instead use a pinch of saffron. Alternatively, you can even avoid adding any food color and just prepare it with the natural color of semiya.
For other easy sweet recipes do check out
Lets move on to the recipe for easy semiya kesari.
How to make Semiya Kesari step by step
- Heat 2 tsp ghee in a pan or kadai. Once it melts, add the cashew nuts and fry on a medium-heat till they turn golden-brown. Remove these and set aside in a small bowl.
- If using raisins, add these to the pan and fry. Once they swell up, remove and transfer it to the bowl along with the cashew nuts.
- In the same pan, add the semiya.
- Roast the vermicelli on a medium-low heat till it turns golden-brown. If you are using pre-roasted vermicelli, then just add the vermicelli and saute for a few seconds.
- Add 1 1/4 cups water and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, grind the cardamom seeds to a fine powder using a mortar and pestle.
- Once the water boils, add the ground cardamom powder and a pinch of salt to it. Also, mix food color with a tbsp of water and then add it.
- Stir well and let the semiya cook on a medium flame till the water is almost fully absorbed. Then add sugar.
- Now add the remaining ghee and mix well.
- Let this cook on a slow flame. The sugar will start to melt.
- Keep stirring till the kesari thickens.
- Remove from heat. Finally garnish with roasted cashew nuts and raisins. Semiya kesari is ready to be served hot.
Semiya Kesari | Vermicelli Kesari Recipe
( 1 cup = 250 ml )
Semiya Kesari recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup semiya ( vermicelli or seviyan )
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 5-6 cashew nuts
- 5-6 raisins ( optional )
- A pinch of yellow food color ( or a pinch of saffron strands )
- 2 green cardamoms ( or elaichi )
- 4 tsp ghee
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- Heat 2 tsp ghee in a pan or kadai. Once it melts, add the cashew nuts and fry on a medium-heat till they turn golden-brown. Remove these and set aside in a small bowl. If using raisins, add these to the pan and fry. Once they swell up, remove and transfer it to the bowl along with the cashew nuts.
- In the same pan, add the semiya.
- Roast the semiya on a medium-low heat till it turns golden-brown. If you are using roasted vermicelli, then just add the vermicelli and saute for a few seconds.
- Add 1 1/4 cups water and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, grind the cardamom seeds to a fine powder using a mortar and pestle. Once the water boils, add the ground cardamom powder and a pinch of salt to it. Also, mix food color with a tbsp of water and then add it to the pan.
- Mix well and let the semiya cook on a medium flame till the water is almost fully absorbed. Then add the sugar.
- Add the remaining ghee and mix well.
- Let this cook on a slow flame. The sugar will start to melt.
- Keep stirring on low flame till the kesari thickens.
- Remove from heat and garnish with roasted cashew nuts and raisins. Semiya kesari is ready to be served hot.
Notes
- Substitute a pinch of saffron strands for the yellow food color. Alternatively, if you dont have food color or saffron available, you can even skip it.
- You can add cashew nuts or raisins depending on your preference.
- This dessert tastes best when served hot or warm.
Nutrition Information
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