Zarda is a traditional sweet dish from the Indian subcontinent, made by boiling rice with (orange) food coloring, milk and sugar, and flavored with cardamoms, raisins, saffron, pistachios or almonds. The name Zarda comes from Persian word ‘zard’ meaning ‘yellow’, Zarda is typically served after a meal. In the Indian, zarda still remains a popular dessert on special occasions such as weddings and special get-together’.
Ingredient
- 2 cups /400 gm Basmati rice , picked, washed, soaked in water for 1 hour, drained
- 1 cup / 200 ml Refined oil
- 4 cups / 800ml Milk
- 1-1/2 tsp /3gm Green cardamom (choti elaichi) seeds, powder
- ¼ tsp / ½ gm mace (javitri) powder
- ½ tsp / ½ gm Saffron(zafan), soaked in 2 tbsp hot milk
- ½ cup / 50 gm Charoli seeds (chironji), coarsely ground
- 20 / 16 gm Almonds (badam) blanched, peeled & sliced.
- 20 / 25 gm cashew nuts (kaju), sliced
- ¼ cup / 30 gm Raisins (kishmish),soaked in water for 15 minutes drained,
- 2-1/2 cups / 375 gm Sugar
Direction
- Heat the oil in a deep pan; when hot add the drained rice Stir and add the milk Stir to mix well. Cover the rice until it is cooked and the milk is fully absorbed.
- Mix the green cardamom, nutmeg and mace powders with the saffron milk
- Add the saffron mixture, charoli seeds, almonds, cashew nuts, raises and sugar to the rice. Mix well.
- Cover the pan with a tight lid and put in a preheated oven (100 C /212 F) for 10-12 minutes
