Shemai (Sweet, Vermicelli Pudding)

Serves 6

The recipe calls for a soft, airy type of vermicelli called Lachcha Semai. The Pran variety is the best type to use and is available at Bangladeshi stores. You can also easily substitute this for the same amount of Pakistani or Indian vermicelli (readily available at Asian stores). Just make sure to cook the vermicelli for an extra 5 minutes in the milk and adjust the sugar to your taste. You can use butter instead of ghee, but keep in mind it won’t give you that delicious nutty flavour.

1 litre whole milk
120g sugar
1 stick cinnamon
1 bay leaf
6 cardamom pods
1 tbsp ghee
200g Pran Lachcha Semai vermicelli
1 tablespoon roughly chopped pistachios or almonds

In a pan, heat the milk, sugar, cinnamon, bay leaf and cardamom. Gently simmer on medium-low heat for five minutes so that the spices infuse the milk. Keep an eye on the pan and stir occasionally to stop the milk burning or boiling over.

Heat the ghee in a frying pan on medium heat. Add the vermicelli and fry for a minute until very lightly golden. Add the toasted vermicelli to the spiced milk and cook for four to five minutes on medium-high until the milk has been almost completely absorbed and you are left with a moderately thick, custard-like consistency.

Serve the shemai hot or cold, garnished with chopped nuts. If you want to re-heat it, just add a dash of milk to lighten it a little and warm through on the stove over low heat.

And it’s ready!

Dina Begum — Biography

Dina Begum is a cookbook author and writer who is passionate about highlighting the recipes and food traditions of Bangladesh. Her recipes/writing have been featured in The Telegraph, Independent, The Herald, Huffington Post, Metro and The Scotsman, among others. Dina is a member of the Guild of Food Writers and her debut cookbook ‘The Brick Lane Cookbook,’ (Kitchen Press in 2018) celebrates the diverse food culture of London’s iconic Brick Lane. She has written a feature and recipes series for Great British Chefs, based on the six seasons of Bangladeshi cuisine and filmed a spice blends tutorial series for Yodomo. Dina has hosted a popular Bangladeshi pop up at Darjeeling Express to showcase home cooking favourites, as part of their #WomenInFood series and has an upcoming programme at The Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD) and supperclub at Archestratus in New York.

Find her at:
Instagram & Twitter: @dinasfoodstory
Website: www.dinabegum.co.uk