zarda recipe | meethe chawal recipe | zarda rice | zarda pulao | sweet rice with detailed photo and video recipe. a popular north indian flavoured rice recipe prepared with basmati rice, saffron and sugar. the dish is typically served as a dessert after the meal or perhaps during the meal during the special occasions and celebrations. generally, the dish has a bright yellow in colour with its appearance due to the use of saffron.
to be honest i am not a huge fan of zarda recipe or meethe chawal and i prefer rava kesari or semiya kesari compare to this recipe. as matter of fact, there is another south indian variation to this recipe and that is rice kesari bath or rice kesari. basically, it is creamier and rich with cooked rice almost melting in ghee and making it soft and moist. perhaps that is one of the striking differences which makes rice kesari more popular than zarda. because in zarda the rice is dry and with less moist and hence generally you may not be able to consume more. having said that, there is another popular zarda variation which is prepared by adding moist khoya or mawa to rice, making it ultra creamy and rich.
furthermore, some easy tips and suggestions while preparing zarda recipe or meethe chawal recipe. firstly, i would heavily recommend using basmati rice for this recipe, because of its longs grains and non-sticky behaviour. i have also tried this in sona masuri rice, to find it less attractive but still an alternative. secondly, to hasten the entire cooking process, you can soak the rice in water for a minimum of 30 minutes. however, this is not mandatory and can follow the recipe without soaking too. lastly, the recipe is typically prepared with artificial yellow food colour to achieve the bright attractive texture. alternatively, you can achieve the same with saffron strand soaked in water and microwaved to 30 seconds.
finally, do visit my other dessert recipes collection with this post of meethe chawal recipe. it includes recipes like rava kesari, semiya kesari, sheer khurma, paneer kheer, rice kheer, sabudana kheer, aval payasam, kharvas, fruit custard and fruit salad recipe. further, do visit my other related recipes collection like,
meethe chawal video recipe:
recipe card for meethe chawal recipe:
zarda recipe | meethe chawal recipe | sweet rice
Ingredients
- ¼ cup ghee / clarified butter
- 8 cashew / kaju, halves
- 5 almond / badam, chopped
- 2 tsp raisins / kishmish
- 2 tsp dry coconut / kopra
- 2 pods cardamom / elachi
- 4 cloves / lavang
- 1 cup water
- ¼ tsp saffron / kesar
- ¼ tsp orange food colour, optional
- ½ cup basmati rice, soaked 30 minutes
- ½ cup sugar
Instructions
- firstly, in a large kadai heat 2 tbsp ghee and roast 8 cashew, 5 almond, 2 tsp raisins and 2 tsp dry coconut.
- roast to golden brown on low flame and keep aside.
- in the remaining ghee add 2 pods cardamom and 4 cloves.
- also add 1 cup water, ¼ tsp saffron and ¼ tsp orange food colour.
- mix well making sure the colour is mixed well.
- further, add 1 cup soaked basmati rice (30 minutes) and mix well.
- cover and cook on medium flame for 10 minutes.
- mix gently, making sure rice is half cooked.
- further add ½ cup sugar, 2 tbsp ghee and roasted dry fruits.
- mix gently making sure sugar melts.
- cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
- stir in between to prevent from burning.
- cook until the rice is cooked completely. and do not overcook as rice turns mushy.
- finally, serve meethe chawal / zarda pulao hot garnished with few chopped nuts.
how to make zarda recipe with step by step photo:
- firstly, in a large kadai heat 2 tbsp ghee and roast 8 cashew, 5 almond, 2 tsp raisins and 2 tsp dry coconut.
- roast to golden brown on low flame and keep aside.
- in the remaining ghee add 2 pods cardamom and 4 cloves.
- also add 1 cup water, ¼ tsp saffron and ¼ tsp orange food colour.
- mix well making sure the colour is mixed well.
- further, add ½ cup soaked basmati rice (30 minutes) and mix well.
- cover and cook on medium flame for 10 minutes.
- mix gently, making sure rice is half cooked.
- further add ½ cup sugar, 2 tbsp ghee and roasted dry fruits.
- mix gently making sure sugar melts.
- cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
- stir in between to prevent from burning.
- cook until the rice is cooked completely. and do not overcook as rice turns mushy.
- finally, serve meethe chawal / zarda pulao hot garnished with few chopped nuts.
notes:
- firstly, roast the dry fruits on low flame to prevent from burning.
- also, you can use leftover rice to prepare zarda recipe.
- furthermore, zarda pulao can be prepared in pressure cooker for 2 whistles on medium flame.
- additionally, sugar can be replaced with jaggery for a healthy alternative.
- finally, meethe chawal / zarda pulao recipe tastes great when prepared with fresh homemade ghee.