Semiya Payasam / Semiya Kheer / Vermicelli Pudding

I guess, this payasam does not need an introduction. Any one from India would have tasted it at some point of time. I have had this as a Naalu mani palaharam, as a dessert post lunch or dinner, to celebrate special occasions etc.

The nostalgic memories of this kheer hits me when the semiya gets roasted in ghee. I go back to those days when my mom use to make it for us. These days its me, who roasts it, smells it and has the kheer. Personally I feel, after having smelled the aroma and going through the feedback loop(tasting and adjusting the sugar) through out the entire cooking process, my stomach gets full that I end up having a little when its fresh. But when had later, the left overs taste good :). Do you feel the same?  Anyways, getting back to semiya payasam recipe; here it is.

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 cup of semiya/ vermicelli
2. 1/2 cup of sweetened condensed milk (optional ; refer Tips)
3. 3 cups of milk
4. 1 tbsp of ghee
5. A pinch of salt
6. Crushed seeds of 2 cardamom 
7. Rasins and split cashews as required

Method

• In a pan, heat the ghee. Once hot, fry the raisins untill puffed and roast the cashews. Keep it aside.
• In the same pan, put the semiya and roast it while you stir constantly to avoid burning it. The semiya should turn light brown. Do not over roast it. 
• Once the semiya is roasted, pour in the milk and let it boil. Once it boils, turn the flame down to medium and add the condensed milk and pinch of salt. Stir well. Let the semiya cook well and turn tender. Remove it from the heat. 
• Serve it warm having garnished it with roasted cashews and raisins.

Tips

1. Fry/roast the raisins and cashews one after the other as they take different time to cook.
2. Do not over roast the semiya else it would get difficult to get them cooked.
3. If you hate to bite cardamom while enjoying your kheer, substitute it with cardamom powder / use a whole cardamom and remove it after having cooked the payasam/kheer.
4. The semiya sets/thickens when it cools down, so adjust the kheer consistency by adding more milk and boiling it.
5. Since the sweetness of the condensed milk was enough for us, I haven't added sugar. You could add and adjust the sweetness as required. 
6. Condensed milk brings thickness and richness to the payasam. However, it is optional and you could chose to not use it and substitute it with milk and sugar instead.