Shemai is a staple dessert served on Eid all over Bangladesh, and definitely one of my personal favorites!

It is a lightly sweet and fragrant vermicelli and milk dessert that is super quick and easy to put together. All you need is a few simple ingredients and about 20 minutes!

Some tips:

1. The shemai will reduce in sweetness as it cools, so adjust the sugar accordingly if you’re serving it cold.
2. The sauce will thicken more as it cools so take it off when it’s a little more soupy than how you want it to be
3. You can use small amounts of cinnamon powder and cardamom powder instead of whole spices
4. Feel free to substitute ghee with butter
5. Make sure to take out the whole spices before serving

This dish is usually served plain (which I prefer taste wise!), but I love jazzing it up a little for Eid to make it special.

I used some raisins, sliced almonds, sliced pistachios, and dried rose petals to garnish my shemai.

For the nuts you want to slice them very finely instead of having chunks, as that gives the best texture and flavor that complements the shemai.

You can watch the full process in this video!

INGREDIENTS  

• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1/2 pack roasted vermicelli (75g)
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 7-10 cardamom pods
• 3 1/2 cups whole milk
• 4 1/2 tbsp sugar (or to taste)
• Pinch of salt
• Dash of cinnamon powder (optional)

Optional toppings/garnish:

• Raisins
• Sliced almonds
• Sliced pistachios
• Dried rose petals

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat your pan on medium heat, add in your ghee, cinnamon sticks, and cardamom pods. Fry for a few minutes until nice and fragrant.

Then at this point I like to put my whole spices in a mesh tea ball so it’s easier to take out later. You can also just pick the spices out at the end.

Crush your roasted vermicelli into small pieces and throw them in. Fry in the ghee for a couple of minutes until they darken just a little and get fragrant. Do not burn.

Then pour in your milk, and add back in the spices if you took them out.

Turn your heat up to medium high to bring it up to a boil, then turn it down to low heat and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Making sure to stir occasionally to keep the milk from sticking to the bottom.

Take out the whole spices. Then add in salt, sugar, and cinnamon powder.

Mix and let simmer for a few more minutes until you get to your desired consistency.

Pour into your serving dish. You can eat this warm/room temp or chill in the fridge for a couple hours.

Top with raisins, sliced nuts, and rose petals to decorate (optional), and serve.