Name: Meethi Seviyan (Sweet Vermicelli)
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 100 gram vermicelli; 80 gram sugar; 200 millilitre water (boiling ); 2-3 tablespoon ghee; 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder; small pinch saffron; 2 tablespoon almonds (chopped ); 1 tablespoon pistachio nuts; 1 tablespoon edible rose petals (optional)

Meethi Seviyan is a South Asian sweet dish made simply with vermicelli roasted in ghee, sugar and water. It's delicately flavoured with cardamom powder and saffron, making it perfect for special occasions and religious festivals. It is easy to make, with only a few recipe steps and around 10 minutes of cooking time.

Dry meethi seviyan served in two serving bowls.

Note: This post was originally published in November 2012. It has since been updated with fresh photos and new content.

Here at JCO, we're big fans of easy yet elegant Indian desserts and this sweet vermicelli ticks all the boxes. It's made with few ingredients and takes very little time to make. I've counted 10 minutes on the clock, which for an Indian dessert, is pretty amazing!

The general recipe of seviyan remains pretty similar throughout India and Pakistan. Vermicelli (super thin wheat noodles) are toasted until golden brown in a little ghee. Boiling water is added to cook the noodles, then goes in the sugar to sweeten. Most common flavourings are cardamom powder, saffron and nuts.

It's the dry version of seviyan kheer which is made with milk.

As we're Gujarati, we call this meethi sev.

Ingredients Highlights

Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.

Sev or Vermicelli – most supermarkets will stock vermicelli, also known as nylon vermicelli. These are super thin noodles or pasta and made with wheat flour. You can easily buy pre-roasted vermicelli for ease and simply sauté a minute in ghee before going to the next step.
Ghee – you can make homemade ghee from butter or use shop-bought.
Sugar – white granulated sugar works best here but you can also use brown sugar too.
Boiling water – it is important that the water is very hot when it is added to the pan. This helps the vermicelli quickly absorb the water, cook fast and keeps the noodles separate.
Ground Cardamom – cardamom powder gives a wonderful flavour to Indian sweets and is common in most recipes.
Mixed nuts slivers – I have used pistachios and almonds.
Saffron – enhances the aroma and taste of the dessert.

Meethi seviyan ingredients placed in white bowls on wooden worktop.

Step by step method & useful tips

Since I've been making this dish, I've picked up plenty of tips to get the best texture and taste. For best results, the meethi sev should have well cooked but separate strands. It shouldn't be clumpy and have a deep golden colour.

Included in the method below are my tips to getting this dish right on your first try!

First start by preparing the vermicelli - I like to break it into smaller pieces because it's much easier to handle when roasting in pan. Aim for small pieces approximately 2 inches long.

Heat a heavy bottomed pan on medium heat and add the ghee. Once you've turned the heat low, add the vermicelli pieces in and sauté gently.

Ghee melting in a hot pan over the stove.

Small broken vermicelli pieces added to the hot ghee in a pan.

It's important to allow the sev to roast low and slow so it gradually turns golden brown. If you wack the heat on high, the sev will burn preventing it from cooking properly and will also taste bitter. This step will probably take around 5 minutes but could be less or more depending on the vermicelli you use and the pan you use.

Sevai roasted in ghee that are brown in colour.

Gradually pour in boiling water until it just absorbs. Refrain from adding too much water as the sugar will also release it's own moisture.

Hot water poured in roasted sevai in a pan.

Water absorbed seviyan in a pan before adding sugar.

Once the water has absorbed, add the sugar. You will see the mixture loosens again but will dry up. The strands of the seviyan should be loose and not clumping together.

Sprinkle over cardamom, saffron and the nuts and serve. Meethi seviyan can be served warm or at room temperature.

White sugar added to the roasted sevai in a pan.

Saffron and cardamom powder added to the sweet vermicelli dessert.

Sweet vermicelli garnished with chopped nuts and edible dried rose petals.

Storage

Dry seviyan can keep for up to 4 days in the fridge. It's best stored in an airtight container. You can also freeze seviyan for 2 weeks. Allow to thaw at room temperature before serving.

As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

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