Zarda Recipe (Pakistani Sweet Rice)

5 from 1 vote

Zarda Recipe (Pakistani Sweet Rice) is a dessert made with yellow colored sweetened Basmati rice, ghee, cardamom, golden raisins and nuts.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian, Pakistani

Keyword: indian sweet rice, meethe chawal recipe, sweet rice recipe, zarda pulao

Servings: servings

Calories: 670kcal

Author: Nosheen Babar

Ingredients

2 cups Sela rice (see notes)
8 cups water
¼ tsp yellow food coloring (see notes)
½ cup cooking oil (see notes)
8 pieces cardamom
8 pieces cloves
1 ½ cups sugar
¼ cup salted pistachios
¼ cup slivered almonds
¼ cup golden raisins
¼ tsp saffron (see notes)
¼ cup milk (see notes)

Instructions

Soak the rice for at least 2 hours and then strain it, discarding the water. (see notes)
Add the soaked rice, 8 cups of water, and yellow food coloring to a cooking pot and bring to a boil.
Cook the rice on high till it's almost done, about 90% done, discard the water, and set the rice aside. (see notes)
Crack open the cardamom just enough to release the seeds and lightly smash it to release the essential oils. (see notes)
Add the cooking oil to the pot, and saute the cardamom (husk and seeds) and the cloves on high for a minute.
Lower the heat, add the rice, and toss it lightly in the oil.
Top it with the sugar, followed by the nuts and raisins and cover.
Uncover after 5 minutes and stir gently to coat all the rice with the sugar syrup.
Warm the ¼ cup milk, add the saffron to it and pour this over the rice (see notes)
Seal the pot with foil, cover with the lid, and make sure your heat is set to the lowest setting. (see notes)
After 20 minutes, uncover the pot, remove the foil, gently fluff the rice and serve. (see notes)

Notes

THE RICE -

Which rice: For this recipe, use Sela rice. This special rice is parboiled in the husk, so each grain stays fluffy and separate. I always use it for my special rice recipe.

Soaking it: Sela rice has to be soaked for at least 2 hours for best results. I usually like to soak it for 4 hours if I have the time.

Cooking it: If you've soaked it for 2 hours, cook the rice to 95%. If you've soaked it for 4 hours, then 90% is sufficient.

Let the boiled rice cool and all excess water evaporate while you saute the cardamom and cloves. This will prevent it from getting mushy.

Steaming it: Ensure it doesn't burn at the bottom when steaming the rice. I have a gas stove, so I have much control over the heat. If your lowest setting seems too high, place a 'tawa' (flat skillet) on the stove and the cooking pot on the skillet so the heat is indirect.

The foil ensures a tight seal and keeps all the steam in, so wrap this well and place the lid firmly on top. Place a heavy object on the lid to weigh it down and help keep the steam inside the pot if you'd like. This is an ancient technique that helps the rice fluff up better.

After 20 minutes, carefully uncover the lid and foil, gently fluff the rice, and serve.

Yellow food coloring - If you add saffron, it adds a yellow color to the rice. However, too much can be overpowering in taste. For this reason, a little food coloring is usually added to Zarda, whether saffron is being used or not.

Cooking oil - I use avocado or canola oil for my Zarda if I make it for a quick dessert just for my family because we're craving it. If it's a special occasion, I use ghee as the nutty taste is delicious. Any high heat index oil like peanut or sunflower works just as well as canola, and butter can be used instead of ghee to provide a richer taste.

The cardamom - To break open a pod, use a mortar and pestle. If you don't have one, you can use a rolling pin, the back of a spoon, or the flat end of a knife to apply gentle pressure. For this recipe, as soon as the pod cracks open, you can saute it.

Saffron - When slow-cooking a wet dish, or as in this case, steaming the rice for an extended period, blooming the saffron before adding it in is unnecessary. I add the threads directly to the milk, pour, and steam. When the rice is ready, the saffron threads are fully dissolved, and the saffron is nice and fragrant.

Milk - Adding milk rather than water makes the zarda rich and creamy. Too much can make the rice mushy, so a small amount is enough.

Nutrition