Kerala Semiya Payasam is a creamy vermicelli pudding made with roasted vermicelli, milk, condensed milk, and topped with golden raisins, nuts, and cardamom. This traditional Kerala dessert is normally served during festivals like Onam Sadhya and Vishu sadhya, or as a treat for birthdays and other special occasions.
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➡ If you’re new to Kerala cooking, start with my Kerala Cooking Basics guide for ingredient tips, shopping advice, and more authentic recipes.
Semiya payasam is one of Kerala’s most popular desserts. Semiya refers to thin vermicelli noodles, and payasam means pudding or a sweet milky dessert in Malayalam.
In Tamil, it’s also referred to as semiyan payasam and is often made with sago, which are starchy pearls like tapioca or boba. The sago is soaked first and you need to add more liquid to cook them. That’s also a very tasty version.
My recipe gets its rich flavor from roasted vermicelli, whole milk, and condensed milk. The addition of ghee, cardamom, raisins, and cashews makes it aromatic and fragrant.
I like making this payasam for special occasions because it’s so easy and quick.
It tastes great served cold, warm, or at room temperature, and the flavors develop even more after a few hours. I prefer to eat it cold in the summertime and warm in the winter.
This recipe is a common component of Onam sadhya or Vishu sadhya feasts (see image below). After the meal, it is served in a steel bowl or cup.
➡ If you’re looking for more Onam recipes, try my recipes for Kerala parippu, mango pachadi, cucumber pachadi (kichadi), vegetable stew, potato stew (ishtu), kootu curry, carrot beans thoran, inji curry, and sambar.
Kerala Semiya Payasam Recipe Ingredients and Tips
🧂 Ingredients
💡 Tips for Semiya Payasam
⚟ Vermicelli: The vermicelli used in this recipe is very thin vermicelli and is available at Indian stores. Bambino and MTR are two brands I’ve used. Roasted vermicelli is the more flavorful option. Fry the roasted vermicelli in ghee for a couple of minutes for a rich flavor. If you use unroasted vermicelli, fry them for longer until they’re golden brown.
🧈 Ghee: This recipe works best if you use ghee, but butter works as long as you don’t let it brown. You may need to use more ghee if you’re also frying plain, unroasted vermicelli.
🌰 Nuts and Raisins: I prefer to use cashew nuts, but you can also use sliced or chopped almonds. Golden raisins are best for this recipe, not the dark ones. My kids aren’t huge fans of raisins, so I sometimes omit them from the recipe.
🥛Condensed Milk: I like the richness that condensed milk provides. If you don’t use condensed milk, use ½ cup of sugar or more to taste. Add the sugar once the vermicelli has cooked.
🥣 Cardamom: Use freshly ground cardamom because it is more flavorful than pre-ground cardamom.
❓ FAQS
If it is too thick, add more hot water, a couple of tablespoons at a time, and heat through. You can add hot milk to make it a richer vermicelli dessert.
You can add saffron for additional flavor.
Either add less milk and water or increase the quantity of vermicelli to make a thick pudding.
This type of payasam is not made with jaggery (at least in my family). Feel free to omit the condensed milk and use ½ cup of jaggery powder or more, to taste.
I’ve never tried it, but if you want to try it out, replace the milk with coconut milk.
🍮 How to Make Kerala Semiya Payasam
- Fry cashews, raisins, and vermicelli separately in ghee. Remove promptly and drain on paper towels. Set aside.
- Bring the milk to a boil and lower the heat. Add boiling water to the milk.
- Add vermicelli to the milk and cook for 10 minutes or until the vermicelli is soft but not mushy.
- Add condensed milk. Taste and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar, if desired. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, and turn off the heat. Stir in the reserved cashews, raisins, and cardamom.
See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
Semiya Payasam
Ingredients
- 3 teaspoon ghee
- ¼ cup cashews
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- ½ cup thin vermicelli roasted [See Note 1]
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup water boiling
- ½ cup condensed milk [See Note 2]
- ¾ teaspoon cardamom powder or to taste [See Note 3]
- 1 to 2 tablespoon granulated sugar to taste
Instructions
- Heat a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium-low heat, add 1½ teaspoons of ghee, and sauté the ¼ cup cashews until golden brown, stirring frequently. Be careful not to burn them. Remove using a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Sauté ¼ cup golden raisins in the same ghee until they plump up, stirring frequently. Remove immediately using a slotted spoon and place on the same paper towel-lined plate.
- Add the remaining ghee to the pan and sauté the ½ cup thin vermicelli until fragrant, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer to a separate plate. [See Note 1]
- Bring the 2 cups milk to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low, and add 1 cup of boiling water. Add the vermicelli and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add ½ cup condensed milk and ¾ teaspoon cardamom powder. Taste and add 1 to 2 tablespoon granulated sugar, if needed. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, then turn the heat off.
- Stir in most of the reserved cashews and raisins, reserving 2 tablespoons. Sprinkle the remaining cashews and raisins before serving. This vermicelli pudding can be served warm, cold, or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
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I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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Amrita says
I make this payasam with evaporated milk and sugar. It’s lovely. I will try your method.
Neena Panicker says
Hi Amrita, that’s interesting. I have not tried it with evaporated milk before. Hope you enjoy it.