Semiya ice (Vermicelli popsicles) – An easy icy treat loaded with nutrients to cool down on sunny days. Add your favorite fruits to turn up the wow factor.
January is all about beautiful sunshine in this part of the world. Is there a better way to enjoy the season than with simple popsicles or iceblocks? And today I’m going to tell you about one of the best and amazingly easy vanilla popsicle recipes.
These popsicles are very popular in various parts of India as a much loved summer staple. Call them vermicelli popsicles, semiya ice, semiya kulfi or kuchi ice (kuchi = stick), these feature a delicious combo of roasted vermicelli and milk.
Whenever I think about recipes with vermicelli and milk, the very first thing that comes to my mind is this vermicelli pudding (also called semiya payasam or sevaiyan kheer). Basically, these semiya ice popsicles are frozen vermicelli pudding. In short, this is another interesting way to enjoy your favorite pudding.
So, here’s the basic idea. First, we’ll make vermicelli pudding and then freeze them in popsicle (iceblock) moulds. Sounds so simple, right? In simple terms, these are puddings on ice cream sticks.
The secret to making the perfect vermicelli pudding (and this semiya ice) is roasted vermicelli. Of course, roasted vermicelli is readily available from Indian grocery stores. But I think roasting them again before you add the other ingredients is always worth the effort.
We are going to cook the vermicelli in milk. You know, extra flavorful semiya ice popsicles right from the beginning. The roasted vermicelli gets cooked really quick. So don’t leave it on the stove and walk away. You’ll also need to give the mixture a quick stir every now and then to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Next up, sugar to sweeten the vermicelli mixture and extra flavoring like vanilla extract, ground cardamom or rose essence. I opted for vanilla extract. Before you pour the mixture into popsicle (iceblock) moulds, allow it to cool slightly. Another great idea is to add chopped up fresh fruits like mangoes, peaches, berries etc to the cooled mixture. If you’re adding fruits, reduce the amount of sugar as fresh fruits are laden with natural sugar.
And finally, freeze the popsicles for at least 6 hours. Enjoy!
- ¼ cup vermicelli, broken into small pieces
- 3 cups milk
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract (or ground cardamom, or rose essence)
- In a large frying pan over low heat, roast vermicelli until they get a light golden color. Stir constantly to avoid burning vermicelli.
- Stir in milk. Increase the heat to high. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring often, for 5-6 minutes or until vermicelli is cooked.
- Add sugar. Simmer, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved and mixture has thickened. Stir in vanilla extract. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool.
- Spoon into 6⅓-cup capacity popsicle (iceblock) moulds. Cover with the popsicle lids. Alternatively, cover the moulds with aluminium foil, prick holes on top and insert the popsicle sticks. Freeze for at least 8 hours or until frozen solid.
- Run the moulds under warm running water to release the popsicles (iceblocks). Serve immediately.
- Add more or less sugar depending on your taste
- Chop up your favorite fruits (berries, mangoes, cherries, peaches, etc) and add them to your popsicles if you like
- The prep time also includes additional cooling time + 8 hours freezing time
- Freeze popsicles in the moulds up to 3 days ahead
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Whaattttt! Am i reading right?? Is it semiya popsicles?? Ohhhhhh i never even imagines to try semiya in popsicles… You just rocked girl….lovely recipe