Sweet Zarda Recipe

Ingredients:

to cook rice for zarda recipe:
2 CupsMahmood 500 Premium Basmati Rice
1 bay leaf
4-5 green cardamom
5-6 cloves
2 inch cinnamon stick
enough water to cook rice
pinch of yellow colour i have not used it
remaining ingredients for zarda rice pulao:
1 and 1/2 cup Sugar
A generous pinch of saffron soaked in 1/4 cup of water atleast for 2-3 hours to develop best colour
1 and 1/2 tbsp Charoli nuts (chironji) Charoli nuts (chiraunji)
1/4 cup Cashew nuts broken
4 tbsp Raisins
3 tbsp Dried Coconut sliced or chopped
4-5 tbsp Ghee or unsalted butter
100 g khowa or mawa or Kova ( grated) or crumbled cottage cheese/malai paneer
1 and 1/2 tsp teaspoon orange zest ( a must, cannot be skipped)
Juice of half lemon

Instructions:

To cook rice for zarda
To start with, first, clean wash and soak rice in enough water for atleast one hour.
Also, soak the saffron in 1/4 of water for atleast 2-3 hours.
Then, in a heavy bottom pan, add enough water, cinnamon sticks, bay leaf, green cardamom and cloves. Bring it to a boil.
Once the water starts boiling, add strained rice
Cook the rice until 90% done.
Then, carefully strain the cooked rice and set it aside. Do not discard the whole spices
how to make zarda recipe
In another heavy bottom pan, heat ghee or butter.
Then, add sliced coconut, cashews, charoli nuts and raisins, fry for few minutes until they are golden. Do not burn them.
After that, add sugar and mix
Then add saffron water and bring it to a boil. Cook until sugar melts.
Now, add lemon juice, orange zest allow it to boil for another minute.
Then, add rice and gently mix and make sure that all the rice coats well with sugar-saffron mixture, cook for a minute.
Finally, sprinkle crumbled khoya all over the rice
After that, cover the pan with tight lid and simmer (Dum) on very low flame for 15 minutes.
This is how the meethe chawal looks after 15 minutes. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Then, gently fluff up the rice with fork and mix everything.
Delicious rich sweet rice is ready to serve.