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Gur wale chawal
گڑ والے چاول (gur wale chawal): South Punjab's jaggery rice with ghee, fennel and dried fruit
Every winter, when the sugarcane presses in the villages around Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan boil the new season's jaggery, families celebrate with a pot of gur wale chawal. Basmati grains turn a warm amber in a syrup of melted gur and ghee, with fennel seeds and cardamom for fragrance and raisins, almonds and coconut tucked through, and the result is sweet but not sticky, each grain separate. It is cooked for weddings, for distribution on religious days and simply for guests on a cold evening, and eaten warm, sometimes with a spoonful of extra ghee on top. Adding the jaggery to raw rice is the commonest error, because sugar stops the grains from softening and they stay hard. Chef's tip: boil the rice until it is three-quarters cooked first, then fold it into the jaggery syrup and let it steam.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the rice
- 10 ½ oz basmati ricerinsed and soaked 20 minutes
- 8 ¼ cups water, for boiling
For the jaggery syrup
- 7 oz jaggery (gur)grated
- ¾ cup water
- 4 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 4 green cardamom podslightly crushed
- 3 cloves
- 1 oz raisins
- 1 oz almondsslivered
- 2 tbsp desiccated coconut (optional)
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Warm 7 oz jaggery (gur) with ¾ cup water in a small pan over a low heat, stirring, until it melts; strain through a fine sieve to catch any grit.
5 minStep 2: Bring 8 ¼ cups water, for boiling to the boil, add the drained 10 ½ oz basmati rice and boil for 6–7 minutes until the grains are three-quarters cooked, with a thin hard core when bitten; drain well.
8 minStep 3: Heat 4 tbsp ghee in a heavy pan with a lid over a medium heat and fry 1 tsp fennel seeds, 4 green cardamom pods and 3 cloves for 30 seconds, then add 1 oz almonds and 1 oz raisins and fry for a minute.
2 minStep 4: Pour in the jaggery syrup, bring it to a bubble and cook for 2 minutes.
3 minStep 5: Add the rice and fold gently with a flat spoon until every grain is coated, then cook uncovered for 2–3 minutes until most of the syrup is absorbed.
3 minStep 6: Scatter over 2 tbsp desiccated coconut, cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat for 10–12 minutes until the rice is tender and the syrup has been taken up.
12 minStep 7: Rest covered for 5 minutes, then fluff gently and serve warm.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 92 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gur wale chawal take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of basmati rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of jaggery (gur)?
- Dark brown or muscovado sugar, same amount.
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