Recipe : Hyderabadi Sheer Kurma - Vermicelli Pudding

A low-sugar, but slow cooked bowl of sheer khurma for that festive feeling. (Today is Ayudha pooja at home in Mangalore and Navami at the in-laws in Kanpur) It’s a Persian influenced - Hyderabadi vermicelli pudding.

Sheer Kurma is similar, yet different from the sevai ki kheer of North India and the vermicelli payasam of South India.

I used raisins instead of the traditional dates, but I got the “right” type of vermicelli from an Indian store in Brick Lane. These are much longer strands than the regular vermicelli.

Recipe :

Quickly fry a handful of raisins and cashewnuts or almonds in some ghee.

Roast the vermicelli in the same ghee.

Turn your flame to medium.

Add warm milk and slow cook until the milk thickens and the vermicelli is soft.

(Start with 2 measures of milk for 1 measure of vermicelli and keep adding milk)

Keep adding milk, so that the consistency isn’t sticky.

You want a smooth pudding consistency.

Add sugar to taste

And keep stirring gently, so that the milk and sugar caramelise together.

I left it a little more liquidy overnight, so it could absorb some more. But this is optional.

Garnish with powdered cardamom seeds or a few more roasted nuts.

A hint of rose water or saffron is also a lovely option for a different taste.

Served hot for breakfast or as a dessert.

To make it vegan, use coconut milk instead of regular milk.

It’s a simple recipe, but requires patience, constant monitoring and stirring.

I also don’t like having anything else going on the cooking top when making milk based sweet stuff, because I feel their delicate nature absorbs the other smells of food being cooked. But that’s me.

Recipe : Salmon Soy Wasabi

Another low carb meal that is quick to prepare.

I added a hint of honey to the marinade for a bit of sweetness and a sticky glaze, , but you can drop the honey for a keto dish.

Ingredients:

4 salmon fillets (about 400 gms - skin on or off - your choice)

2 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp soya sauce

1 tsp grated ginger

1-2 tsp wasabi paste (wasabi paste and fresh root differ in spiciness - taste and adjust)

1/2 tsp honey (optional)

2 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tsp oil

Method:

In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, soya sauce, ginger, wasabi and honey.

Marinate your cleaned and dried salmon in this mix for about 15-30 minutes.

Kim's tip : Don't marinate delicate fish fillets for too long in an acidic marinade, you may just end up with hash in your pan when the fish starts flaking apart.

Heat a pan with the oil.

Scatter the sesame seeds in a plate.

Roll the marinated salmon in the sesame seeds and pan fry lightly on both sides for a couple of minutes until the fish is done to your liking.

Remove the fish from the pan to a plate.

Put any leftover marinade and sesame seeds into the pan and thicken, then pour over the fish.

This was a no carb meal, so I served it with stuffed peppers and a salad, but you can serve it with any simple rice, fried rice or noodles.