Semiya Payasam (South Indian Vermicelli Payasam)

Name: Semiya Payasam (South Indian Vermicelli Payasam)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: South Indian
Ingredients: 100 g wheat vermicelli (semiya); 960 ml whole milk; 240 ml water; 100 g granulated sugar; 2 tbsp ghee; 20 g cashews; 20 g raisins; 6 pod green cardamom; 0.25 tsp salt

A home-style South Indian dessert of roasted wheat vermicelli gently simmered in milk, sweetened with sugar and scented with cardamom, finished with fried cashews and raisins. Comforting, quick, and perfect for festivals or an easy sweet finish.

AI image

30 min

start to finish

10 min

hands on

Easy

difficulty

servings

4 servings

Ingredients

100 g wheat vermicelli (semiya)about 1 cup; see substitution note
960 ml whole milk4 cups
240 ml water1 cup
100 g granulated sugarabout 1/2 cup; adjust to taste
2 tbsp gheeclarified butter; divided
20 g cashewsabout 2 tbsp, whole or halved
20 g raisinsabout 2 tbsp
6 pod green cardamomcrushed, or 1 tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp salta small pinch

Contains dairy, tree-nut, gluten. Cooking for an allergy? Check the label on every packet you use — brands differ, and we can only tell you what the recipe calls for.

Roughly, per serving

360 kcal8g protein51g carbs13g fat

An estimate, not a lab analysis.

Method

In a 2–3 quart heavy saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon ghee over medium and add the vermicelli; roast, stirring constantly, until it turns light golden and smells nutty.
Add the milk, water, crushed cardamom and a pinch of salt to the pan and bring to a gentle simmer.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vermicelli is soft and cooked through.
Stir in the sugar and simmer, stirring, just until the sugar dissolves and the payasam is slightly thickened.
While the payasam simmers, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon ghee in a small skillet over medium and fry the cashews until golden.
Add the raisins to the skillet and fry briefly until they plump and the cashews are aromatic.
Stir the fried cashews, raisins and any ghee from the skillet into the payasam and remove the pan from the heat.
Let the payasam rest 5 minutes off the heat to thicken and for flavors to meld.
Give the payasam a final stir and serve warm or at room temperature.

Worth knowing

For a richer, creamier payasam use half milk and half coconut milk (or add 1/4 cup evaporated milk) at step 2.
If you need gluten-free, substitute rice vermicelli (thin rice noodles) and shorten roasting time as they burn faster.
To make with jaggery: dissolve 100 g grated jaggery in 2–3 tbsp hot water and add at the end in place of sugar, then simmer 1–2 minutes.
Stir from the bottom occasionally while simmering to prevent sticking; use a heavy-bottomed pan to avoid scorching.
Payasam thickens as it cools—if it becomes too thick, loosen with a splash of warm milk before serving.

Make it yours

Cooking without dairy, without an oven, for someone who won't touch chilli, or for six instead of four? Have the recipe rewritten around it — quantities, steps and all.

VegetarianQuickOne pan

More South Indian cooking

An original Restaurant Pro recipe — our own composition in the idiom of South Indian cooking, not any restaurant's recipe. Written to be vegetarian as listed.