A Creamy Pudding Worthy of Celebration
The New York Times
When prepared from scratch, this cardamom-scented dessert and Eid delicacy is as delightful to make as it is to eat.
The night before Eid al-Fitr, the festival of breaking the Ramadan fast, markets in Karachi, Pakistan, bustle with preparations. This evening, which this year falls on Saturday, is known as Chand Raat, or the sighting of the moon, and is filled with last-minute shopping, intricate henna applications and, of course, cooking.
Among the many delicacies on the Eid trolley of sweet and savory, sheer khorma remains a classic. Each cook has a style of making the creamy pudding, with ghee-fried vermicelli simmered in sweet milk, cloves, cardamom and fried slivered nuts. Sometimes it’s thin and soupy, as in this version, and other times, it’s caramelized until thick.
Traditionally, sheer khorma’s preparation starts days before Eid: Milk must be ordered from the doodh wala (milkman), nuts need to be boiled, peeled and thinly sliced by hand. On either Chand Raat or the morning of Eid, the aroma of cardamom and toasted vermicelli, the first sweet scent of celebration, fills homes.
