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Zarda
Sweet saffron rice
زردہ (zarda): saffron-yellow sweet rice with ghee, cardamom, nuts and raisins for weddings and Eid
Its name comes from the Persian word for yellow, and at a Pakistani shaadi the great degh of zarda arrives after the biryani and korma, glowing gold and fragrant with cardamom, cloves and kewra. The grains should be long, separate and glossy with ghee, sweet but not syrupy, studded with almonds, pistachios, plump raisins and often a few cubes of crumbled khoya or glacé cherries. Families also cook a smaller pot for Eid, for a new baby or to send round to neighbours on a happy day, and it is eaten warm or at room temperature on its own. The classic error is boiling the rice all the way before adding the sugar; the sugar then melts into syrup and the over-soft grains break into mush. Chef's tip: boil the rice only until it is two-thirds cooked with a firm centre, because it finishes cooking in the sugar's own moisture during the dum.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the rice
- 10 ½ oz basmati ricewashed and soaked 30 minutes
- 8 ¼ cups water
- 1 /4 tsp yellow food colouror a pinch of turmeric
- 3 cloves
For the sweet layer
- 2 ⅞ oz ghee
- 5 green cardamom podscrushed
- 3 cloves
- 9 oz sugar
- 1 pinch saffronsoaked in 2 tbsp warm milk
- 1 /2 tsp kewra water (optional)
- 1 oz almondssliced
- ⅔ oz pistachiossliced
- 1 oz raisins
- 1 ¾ oz khoya (optional)crumbled
- 8 glacé cherries (optional)halved
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Bring 8 ¼ cups water to a rolling boil with 1 /4 tsp yellow food colour and 3 cloves.
2 minStep 2: Drain 10 ½ oz basmati rice, add it to the water and boil for 5–6 minutes, until a grain pressed between your fingers breaks into two or three firm pieces with a hard white centre.
6 minStep 3: Drain the rice well in a colander.
Step 4: Melt 2 ⅞ oz ghee in a wide heavy pan over a medium heat and fry 5 green cardamom pods and 3 cloves for 30 seconds until fragrant.
2 minStep 5: Add 1 oz almonds, ⅔ oz pistachios and 1 oz raisins and fry for 1 minute until the raisins puff; lift out a spoonful for the top.
2 minStep 6: Add 9 oz sugar and 3 tbsp water and stir for 3–4 minutes until the sugar has mostly melted into a thick, bubbling syrup.
4 minStep 7: Tip in the drained rice and fold it through the syrup gently with a flat spoon, lifting from the bottom so the grains do not break.
Step 8: Drizzle over 1 pinch saffron with its milk and 1 /2 tsp kewra water.
Step 9: Cover with a tight lid wrapped in a cloth, set the pan on a flat griddle or a heat diffuser over the lowest heat and cook for 18–20 minutes, until the syrup is absorbed and the grains are tender and separate.
20 minStep 10: Turn off the heat and leave covered for 5 minutes, then fold through 1 ¾ oz khoya and top with the reserved nuts and 8 glacé cherries. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 82 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does zarda take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 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 cloves?
- Ground cloves, ¼ tsp for every 3 whole cloves.
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