🇧🇩 Bangladeshi Cuisine

Shemai

Sweet Vermicelli Pudding

Prep Time 5 min

Servings 6

Difficulty Easy

Calories 325 kcal

Fine vermicelli noodles toasted in ghee, then simmered in sweetened milk with cardamom, raisins, and nuts — the traditional Eid morning dessert.

Ingredients

200g fine vermicelli (semai)
3 tbsp ghee
1L whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 green cardamom pods, crushed
2 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp sliced almonds
2 tbsp pistachios, chopped
1 tbsp rose water

Instructions

1 Heat ghee in a heavy pan. Add vermicelli and toast on low heat, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant.
2 Heat milk separately until warm.
3 Pour warm milk over toasted vermicelli. Stir well.
4 Add sugar, cardamom, and raisins. Simmer 10-15 min, stirring often, until vermicelli is soft and milk thickens.
5 Add rose water and half the nuts. Stir gently.
6 Serve warm or chilled, garnished with remaining nuts.

Did You Know?

On Eid morning in Bangladesh, neighbors exchange bowls of shemai as a gesture of goodwill — some families receive dozens of bowls from different homes.