Zarda (జర్దా, ज़र्दा)

Zarda (జర్దా, ज़र्दा) It is lso called as sweet rice , the name Zarda means yellow .It is basically a Persian / Pakistani sweet rice preparation.It is famous in Muslim homes; Prepared on all occasions. In in India it is famous among Awadhi dishes.

Regional Dish: Awadh

Cuisine Style: Awadhi | Cooking Time 30  mins | Take it as such| Type Rice, Sweet | Shelf Life : 1 days Refrigerated.

Appx. Nutritional values calculated for 1 serving:

Calories (354.1Kcal), Carbohydrates (62 g), Protein (2.1 g), Fat (5.3g).

Ingredients:

• Basmathi Rice 1cup ( soaked in 2 cups of water for 3 hours)
• Sugar ½ cup
• Khoya 2tbs
• Cloves 2nos
• Cardamom 2 whole
• Yellow food color ½ tsp
• Ghee ½ cup
• Water ½ cup to prepare sugar syrup
• Nuts ( Almonds , Cashew, Pistachios ) 1 tbs each
• Rasins 2 tbs
• Tuti fruiti ( red and green color mixed  2tbs)

Method:

1. Add 1 tbs of  butter / ghee in a pan ; to this add Cloves and Cardamom.
2. Once they get roasted drain water from pre-soaked rice and add this to pan and fry for 2 minutes.
3. Add enough water, food color and cook till the rice is well done.
4. Now in another pan take ½ to 1 cup of water and add ½ sugar and bring to boil , check the consistency ( the sugar syrup should be thin like gulab jamun syrup ).
5. Add the syrup, khoya and left over ghee to cooked rice and mix well and allow it to cook till the whole syrup gets dried up.
6. At this stage add the nuts , rasins and tutifruiti
7. Serve hot ot cold.

Variations : 1.Add rasogulla to the sweet rice.2.Adding heavy cream. 3. Adding different nuts like walnuts. 4. Adding ricotta. 5. Adding orange zest. 6. Adding canned cherries. 7. Preparing with semolina instead of rice