Zarda
Recipe || Sweet Rice Recipe || How to Make Meetha Chawal with
step-by-step photos and Video
Zarda Rice is the traditional Pakistani/Indian sweet dessert made of sweet and fragrant yellow basmati rice loaded with crunchy nuts, chewy raisins, and khoya. It is an easy dish to enjoy as an everyday treat, but it can be fancied up to impress your guests on any occasion.
Zarda originated from the Mughals. Zarda can be quite hard to cook, but trust it's not as hard as it seems. The use of good-quality ingredients and the right cooking technique helps to make a flavorful and delicious Zarda.
It is traditionally made of fluffy rice cooked with sugar syrup, giving it that eye-catching hue and sweet flavor.
Cardamom, nuts, and dried fruits give it more flavor and texture. A popular variation of Zarda called Muntanjan is cooked with milk instead of water and is served with more yummy mixed-ins like dry fruit, khoya/mawa, colorful Ashrafi, and gulab jamun
For detailed recipes with step-by-step watch my video!
My Latest Video: Zarda Rice:
Recipe Notes:
Ghee:
Pure ghee is essential for zarda rice as it imparts a rich aroma and enhances the flavor. It's a crucial ingredient that brings out the deliciousness of the dish. Traditional zarda often calls for a generous portion of ghee, which also gives the rice its lovely glossy appearance.
Color:
Zarda can feature various colors, with the most frequently used being orange, known as zarda color. Some recipes incorporate red and green hues as well. In one of my previous blog posts, I shared a recipe for Mutanjan Zarda, which uses different colors. For this occasion, I chose orange, but saffron can also be utilized for both flavor and color.
Flavoring:
To elevate the taste of zarda, spices like green cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves are added, contributing depth and warmth to the dish.
Khoya:
This ingredient is crucial for adding richness to zarda. It enhances the dish's flavor and overall appeal, so I highly recommend not omitting it.
Dry Fruits:
Incorporating dry fruits into zarda significantly improves the taste and texture. In my preparation, I used almonds, but you can customize it with your favorites!
Sugar: Using good-quality sugar is essential for making sweet Meetha Rice. The amount of sugar in Zarda should be equal to the measurement of the rice. Tutty Fruity: Incorporate colored Tutty Fruity into Zarda solely for garnishing. If you don't prefer it or don't have it on hand, feel free to skip this ingredient altogether. Sweets: I like to add small pieces of gulab jamun and cham cham for garnishing the Zarda, enhancing both its visual appeal and taste.
You May Like This:
If you have tried this Zarda Rice, don’t forget to rate the recipe. You can also follow me on social media to see what’s latest in my kitchen!
Like Our Videos? Then do follow
and subscribe to us on YouTube to get
the latest Recipe Video updates.
How to make Zarda Rice?
Soak the basmati rice for 2-3 ho ur s. Put almonds in the hot water for 5 minutes, then peel them. The skin of the almonds.
Take a pot and pour water along with the orange
food color/here you can skip the food color if you want to give other colors to
the Meetha chawal.
Bring water to a boil, then add the soaked rice to
the boiling water and let it cook. Once it is fully cooked, drain it out of the
strainer.r
Take another pot and add ghee. I keep the
quantity of ghee and half of the sugar. If you want more glossy rice, then can be
increased the measurement of the ghee can be increased.e
Once heated, add green cardamoms, cinnamon
sticks, and cloves. Let it crackle for a few seconds once the aroma rises, add
sugar and water together, and stir to combine well. Keep stirring until the
sugar is dissolved. Next, add lemon juice and kewra essence to the sugar syrup, cover, and bring to a boil.
Once getheoils add cooked rice and mix very well, then allow the rice to cook with the syrup until the sugar syrup is absorbed by the rice. Don’t stir the rice too much; otherwise, the rice may break.
Occasionally stir in between to keep an eye on the
rice. Once the pits appear over the rice, turn down the flame and give it another 5 minutes to simmer so that the syrup gets absorbed into the rice very well.
Once the zarda is cooked, allow it to cool down a
bit. Then fluff the rice up so that the rice doesn’t stick to each other. Next, begin to garnish and add Tutty Fruity, khoya, and almonds.
Transfer the zarda into the serving dish and
sprinkle the remaining khoya, almonds, and Tutti Frutti. In last place, some
gulab jamun and chum chum over the rice
Serve hot zarda rice with Qehwa or Tea.
Zarda Rice is the traditional Pakistani/Indian sweet dessert made of sweet and fragrant yellow basmati rice loaded with crunchy nuts, chewy raisins, and khoya...
Ingredients for Boiling Rice:
- 750g,sella basmati rice soaked
- 1 liter of water
- 1 tbsp, orange color
For Sugar Syrup:
- 750g, sugar
- 250g, pure ghee
- 2 pods, green cardamom
- 1-inch cinnamon stick
- 2 cloves
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 300ml, water
- 1/2 tsp, kewra essence
For other ingredients:
- 150g, sweet murabba/tutty fruity
- 150g, khoya
- 100g, peeled almonds
- 200g, small-sized gulab jamun cham cham
How to make Zarda Rice?
Preparation Zarda Rice: Soak the basmati rice for
2-3 hours. Put almonds in the hot water for 5 minutes, then peel them. The skin of the almonds.
Boiling
Rice: Take
a pot and pour water along with the orange food color/here you can skip the
food color if you want to give other colors to the Meetha chawal.
Bring water to a boil, then add the soaked rice to
the boiling water and let it cook. Once it is fully cooked, drain it out of the
strainer.r
Making
Sugar Syrup: Take
another pot and add ghee. I keep the quantity of ghee and half of the sugar. If
you want more glossy rice, then can be increased the measurement of the ghee can be increased.
Once heated, add green cardamoms, cinnamon
sticks, and cloves. Let it crackle for a few seconds once the aroma rises, add
sugar and water together, and stir to combine well. Keep stirring until the
sugar is dissolved. Next, add lemon juice and kewra essence to the sugar syrup, cover, and bring to a boil.
Cook
Zarda Rice With Syrup:
Once it boils, add cooked rice and mix very well, then allow the rice to cook with the syrup until the sugar syrup is absorbed by the rice. Don’t stir the rice too much;
otherwise, the rice may break.
Occasionally stir in between to keep an eye on the
rice. Once the pits appear over the rice, turn down the flame and give it another 5 minutes to simmer so that the syrup gets absorbed into the rice very well.
Garnishing
Over the Zarda Rice: Once the zarda is cooked, allow it to cool down a bit. Then fluff the rice up so that the
rice doesn’t stick to each other. Next, begin to garnish and add Tutty Fruity,
khoya, and almonds.
Transfer
to the Serving Dish: Transfer
the zarda into the serving dish and sprinkle the remaining khoya, almonds, and
Tutti Frutti. In last place, some gulab jamun and chum chum over the rice
Serving Tips: Serve hot zarda rice with Qehwa or Tea
*Not be duplicated, rewritten, or published without permission- Thank you!
Have you any doubts about this blog kindly let me know
EmoticonEmoticon