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Bangladeshi

Shemai

Vegetarian

সেমাই · Shemai

Thin wheat vermicelli toasted in ghee and simmered in sweetened milk with cardamom, cinnamon, raisins and nuts — the dish every Bangladeshi household makes on Eid morning.

Shemai is a Bangladeshi dessert, ready in about 35 minutes and made with dried pasta and milk. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

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A serving of Shemai
Photo: Swayampurna / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
5 min
Cook
30 min
Total
35 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
269

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Melt the ghee (opens in a new tab) in a heavy saucepan (opens in a new tab) and toast the vermicelli, stirring constantly, until evenly golden. Tip onto a plate.

    Fry the nuts briefly in the same ghee if you like them toasted.

  2. Step 2

    Bring the milk (opens in a new tab) to the boil with the cardamom (opens in a new tab), cinnamon (opens in a new tab) and bay leaf (opens in a new tab), then simmer, stirring often, until reduced by about a quarter.

    • 15 min
    • medium-low heat

    Food safety: Stir often so the milk does not scorch or boil over.

  3. Step 3

    Add the vermicelli, sugar (opens in a new tab) and raisins (opens in a new tab) and simmer for 6–8 minutes until the vermicelli is soft and the milk (opens in a new tab) is creamy. Scatter with nuts.

    • 8 min
    • low heat
    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Indian subcontinent · Commonly attributedSweet vermicelli in milk is made across South Asia (sewaiyan, seviyan); shemai is the Bengali name.Also popular in Bangladesh, Pakistan, India
Dish
Breakfast · Dessert · Desserts
Cooking method
Simmered, Pan-fried
Taste
sweet, creamy, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo)
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium
Without the optional extras: No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Make-ahead · Child-friendly
Cook more with
Dried pasta · Milk · Ghee · Sugar · Cardamom · Cinnamon
Techniques
Pan-frying · Boiling · Simmering · Reduction

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom ghee, milk
  • May contain: Eggsfrom dried pasta
  • Contains, can be adapted: Tree nutsfrom almonds, cashews
  • Contains: Wheatfrom dried pasta
  • Contains: Glutenfrom dried pasta
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom raisins

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

269 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 210 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 11%
  • Carbohydrate 55%
  • Fat 34%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy269 kcal128 kcal
Protein7.7 g3.7 g
Carbohydrate37.2 g17.7 g
Net carbohydrate36.2 g17.2 g
Sugars24.6 g11.7 g
Added sugars13.3 g6.3 g
Fibre1 g0.5 g
Fat10.3 g4.9 g
Saturated fat6 g2.9 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol29 mg14 mg
Sodium76 mg36 mg
Salt equivalent0.2 g0.1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
293 mg
Calcium
206 mg
Iron
0.7 mg
Magnesium
28 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
117 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
2.2 µg
Vitamin B12
0.8 µg
Folate (DFE)
74 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: almonds, cashews.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • It thickens a lot as it cools; thin with a little warm milk if needed.

Common mistakes

  • Adding the vermicelli too early — it turns to mush; it needs only a few minutes in the reduced milk.

Serve with

  • Serve warm or chilled on Eid morning before visiting family.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days in the fridge.

Reheating

  • Serve cold, or warm gently with a splash of milk.

Variations

  • Dry (jorda) shemai: Vermicelli cooked with sugar syrup and ghee until dry and glossy.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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