Sheerkhurma, the traditional Muslim dessert prepared on Eid, is a very dear and delicious part of Hyderabad’s culinary tradition. The dish that complements the feast that marks the end of Ramzan, is a delicacy that is relished by everyone. While as it is, the dish isn’t as impressive as haleem, in terms of preparations and ingredients, what makes the Sheerkhurma stand out is the city’s tradition of making its own seviyan (vermicelli). A recipe that is passed down through the family, this special seviyan is made only during the holy month Ramzan and is made by just a handful of people in the city.
“A very tiring task, not everyone can make seviyan as it requires a lot of hardwork and expertise,” shares Saleem Khan who has been in the business for the past 30 years from his shop at Musanagar, Chaderghat. While effortlessly pulling apart the atta (flour) to make the fine threads of the seviyan, the 37-year old further explains, “Ours is a 50 year-old business, and was started by my grandfather. Now my two elder brothers Anwar and Yusuk Khan along with myself make it every year, but only during the months of Ramzan and a month before that.
Though Khan makes the process look too easy, learning to make seviyan is not at all an easy task. The Khan brothers who were actually born into a family of seviyan makers, took almost five years to master the art under the guidance of their father, Sardar Khan.
Making the atta
Maida (refined flour) is mixed with salt in water, and kept overnight. The outcome, ‘khari aata’ is what is used to make the seviyan. “The ingredients are just ordinary, but it is the aata that is used that makes our seviyan special,” explains Saleem. The Khan brothers spend more than six hours in preperation: this includes preparing the dough, pulling it into threads and then hanging the fine strands on bamboo sticks. Once hung, the seviyan takes at least half hour to dry, after which, it is weaved into bales that are sold. “The trick is not breaking the seviyan while packing it, since it is very delicate and can break very easily,” points out the youngest of the three Khans.
The brothers prepare at least 25 kgs of seviyan at a time, working continuously from 10 in the morning to 6 in the evening.
Business is good
The Khan family receive orders from surrounding districts including Karimnagar, Ranga Reddy, Nalgonda and so on. “Most of our customers include store owners from the old city who buy many kilos of seviyan every few days. Besides the average 25 kgs, which lasts for about three days, we make a larger quantity depending on the demand.” The monsoon is however a deterrent for the family, as the special vermicelli can’t be prepared because of the moisture. This brings about a loss of `800 to `1000. “Not just the atta, but we need to pay for the labour too, hence it is a problem if it rains.” explains Saleem.
Comments
0 comment