True GrainsNutra Select

Vermicelli

Name: Granvia Vermicelli
Brand: Granvia

Made with suji for natural wheat protein and a smooth, satisfying, non-sticky texture.

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From the pack to the plate

The Sweet Beginning to Eid

On Eid morning in Delhi, Lucknow and countless towns across northern India, the first celebratory dish is often not biryani or kebab. It is a bowl of sweet Seviyan.

After a month of fasting, Eid begins with something gentle: fine strands of vermicelli simmered in milk and perfumed with cardamom. Dates, almonds, pistachios, cashews and raisins turn the simple pudding into a festive dish.

Its richer form is known as Sheer Khurma. The name comes from Persian: sheer means milk and khurma means dates. Exactly when vermicelli became part of this milk-and-date preparation is uncertain, but across the Indian subcontinent the three have become inseparable from Eid.

The dates provide more than sweetness. Throughout Ramadan, the evening fast is traditionally broken with a date. When dates appear again in the Sheer Khurma served on Eid morning, they connect the month of restraint with the feast that follows it.

Every household has its own interpretation. Some prefer a flowing, milky Sheer Khurma served warm in small cups. Others cook the milk down until the Seviyan becomes rich and almost spoonable. Khoya, saffron, coconut, chironji or rose water may be added according to family and region.

What remains constant is the spirit in which it is served. A large pot is made not only for the household but for everyone expected to call during the day. Bowls are passed to relatives, carried to neighbours and placed before every guest.

Seviyan therefore marks more than the end of a fast. It announces that the home is open and that celebration begins by sharing something sweet.

Eid Morning Seviyan with Dates and Nuts

Fine vermicelli simmered in cardamom-scented milk with dates and toasted nuts. Serve it warm and flowing, or allow it to cool and thicken.

Serves: 4–6
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes

Eid Morning Seviyan with Dates and Nuts, serving suggestion — Serving suggestion

You will need

100 g Granvia Vermicelli
1 litre full-fat milk
2 tbsp ghee
6–8 dates, pitted and thinly sliced
4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
4–5 tbsp sugar, or according to taste
2 tbsp sliced almonds
2 tbsp chopped cashews
1 tbsp sliced pistachios
1 tbsp raisins
A small pinch of saffron, optional

From pack to plate

Prepare the dates
Soak the sliced dates in a little warm milk for about 20 minutes. If using very dry dates or chuwara, soak them for longer.
Roast the vermicelli
Break the Granvia Vermicelli into shorter strands. Heat one tablespoon of ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan and roast the vermicelli over low heat until lightly golden. Remove and keep aside.
Begin the milk
Pour the milk into the same pan. Add the soaked dates, their soaking milk and the crushed cardamom. Bring gently to the boil and simmer for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Cook the Seviyan
Add the roasted Granvia Vermicelli and cook according to the instructions on the pack, stirring gently so that the strands remain separate.
Add the sweetness
Stir in the sugar and optional saffron. Simmer for another 2–3 minutes. Keep the mixture slightly thinner than the consistency you want, as it will thicken while cooling.
Toast the garnish
Heat the remaining ghee in a small pan. Fry the almonds, cashews, pistachios and raisins until lightly golden.
Finish and serve
Add most of the toasted fruit and nuts to the Seviyan. Garnish with the remainder and serve warm or chilled.

The Seviyan Secret

Add the sugar only after the vermicelli has softened. Remember that the milk and vermicelli will continue to thicken as they stand, so switch off the heat while the preparation is still slightly fluid.

When Upma Changed Shape

In southern India, vermicelli tells an entirely different story.

Long before packets of dried semiya appeared in shops, southern kitchens were familiar with freshly made rice noodles. Known by names such as sevai, shavige and santhakai, they were traditionally made by steaming rice dough and forcing it through a special press.

Making fresh sevai was rarely a solitary activity. The warm dough had to be pressed while it was still pliable, and the falling strands caught and separated before they clumped together. It was the sort of kitchen work around which several pairs of hands—and generations of family memory—could gather.

Packaged wheat vermicelli made fine strands available without the soaking, grinding, steaming and pressing. South Indian cooks then applied one of their most adaptable breakfast techniques: upma.

Upma is less a single recipe than a way of cooking. Hot oil receives mustard seeds, lentils, chillies and curry leaves. Onion, ginger and vegetables follow. Traditionally, roasted rava absorbs the seasoned water; in Semiya Upma, vermicelli takes its place.

The transformation suits the ingredient perfectly. The fine strands carry the tempering through the dish, while fried urad dal, peanuts or cashews provide crunch. Green chillies add heat, curry leaves add fragrance and a final squeeze of lemon brightens everything.

The dish is known as Semiya Upma in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and elsewhere, and as Shavige Uppittu in Karnataka. It is now an everyday breakfast and tiffin-box favourite.

In the North, vermicelli enters a pot of sweetened milk to welcome guests on a festival morning. In the South, it enters a crackling tempering to begin an ordinary working day.

That is the remarkable versatility of vermicelli: celebration in one kitchen and breakfast in another.

South Indian Vegetable Semiya Upma

Separate strands of vermicelli tossed with vegetables, mustard seeds, toasted lentils and aromatic curry leaves. Quick, colourful and finished with a squeeze of lemon.

Serves: 2–3
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

South Indian Vegetable Semiya Upma, serving suggestion — Serving suggestion

You will need

150 g Granvia Vermicelli
2 tbsp vegetable oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp chana dal
1 tbsp peanuts or 8–10 cashews
1 dried red chilli, broken
1 green chilli, sliced
8–10 curry leaves
1 tsp grated ginger
1 small onion, finely sliced
¼ cup finely diced carrot
¼ cup green peas
¼ cup finely sliced beans
¼ tsp turmeric, optional
Salt, as required
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped coriander
2 tbsp freshly grated coconut, optional

From pack to plate

Roast the vermicelli
If the Granvia Vermicelli is not already roasted, dry-roast it over low heat until lightly golden. Stir continuously to prevent uneven browning.
Cook the vermicelli
Prepare it in salted water according to the instructions on the pack. Drain while the strands are just tender and spread them out to prevent sticking.
Make the tempering
Heat the oil in a wide kadai. Add the mustard seeds and allow them to crackle. Add the urad dal, chana dal, peanuts or cashews and broken red chilli. Fry until the lentils become golden.
Release the aromas
Add the curry leaves, green chilli and ginger. Stir carefully for a few seconds—the curry leaves may splutter.
Cook the vegetables
Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the carrot, peas, beans, optional turmeric and a little salt. Stir-fry until the vegetables are cooked but retain some bite.
Bring everything together
Add the cooked Granvia Vermicelli and toss gently until the tempering and vegetables are distributed evenly through the strands.
Finish and serve
Switch off the heat. Add the lemon juice, coriander and optional grated coconut. Toss once more and serve hot.

The Semiya Upma Secret

The vermicelli should be cooked only until just tender before it enters the kadai. Spread the drained strands out rather than leaving them in a heap, and mix with a light hand to keep the upma separate and fluffy.