Zarda Pulao is a perfect recipe for festival season. This recipe has been passed on to me by my mother, and to her from her mother, and so on! It is also called meethe chawal or sweet rice. Loaded with lots of dry fruits and desi ghee, it brings out the taste of rose water, kesar and whole spices, and is one of my favorite dishes for the festival season. This can be quickly prepared at home and served any time during the day in this season or whenever guests arrive. I suggest that you give this amazing and wholesome pulao a try. I’m sure you will love it! So here is the recipe of Zarda Pulao.
Ingredients needed for making Zarda Pulao(serves 4)
- Rice – 1 cup
- Saffron – a few strands
- Sugar – 1 cup
- Choti elaichi – 4-5 (crushed)
- Badi elaichi – 2 (crushed)
- Laung – 8-10
- Desi ghee – 2 tbsp
- Yellow food color – 1 pinch
- Milk – 1 cup
- Rose water – 1/2 tsp
- Dry fruits – 8 tbsp (I used chironji, almonds, cashew nuts, raisins) (broken/ chopped)
How to make Zarda Pulao
- Soak rice in water for 1 hour.
- Mix milk, food colour, kesar, rose water and sugar in a bowl.
- Heat 4-5 cups of water in a pan. Once it comes to boil, add the soaked rice without water.
- Cook till the rice is about 80 % done.
- Strain the water and mix half of desi ghee.
- Heat the remaining half of desi ghee in a pan.
- Add dry fruits and fry till golden-brown.
- Add whole spices and fry for about half a min.
- Add the milk mixture and boil.
- Add the rice and cook on low flame for 10-12 min with cover.
- Mix rice with a fork for better presentation.
- Serve hot.
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