Vermicelli

seviyan

Fine golden threads for a festival sweet.

What it is

Vermicelli here means fine wheat noodles (thin golden threads, usually toasted before cooking) that form the body of milk sweets like sheer khurma and the Bengali semai/payesh. Distinct from rice vermicelli; this is the wheat kind, roasted to a nutty gold.

Where it comes from

Used across the subcontinent, wheat vermicelli belongs especially to festive milk sweets (the Eid sheer khurma of the north, the semai of Bengal), where the toasted strands soften into sweetened milk.

What it's called

Vermicelli · seviyan (Hindi) · semai (Bengali). The fine wheat noodle, sold roasted or plain.

In the kitchen

Toasted in ghee until golden (or bought pre-roasted), then simmered in sweetened, cardamom-scented milk with nuts and raisins into sheer khurma or payesh. The toasting gives the nutty depth; over-cooking turns the strands to mush, so they go in late.

What we know about the claims

A wheat product (not gluten-free), used in sweets: enjoy as the festive treat it is. No other caution.

Choosing and buying

Sold roasted or plain in South Asian grocers (UK and US); roasted saves a step. Keep dry and sealed.