Traditional Recipe for Zarda (Sweet Rice)
Rice is the most eatable food item and can be present in many different dishes. Rice is a delightful and multipurpose food cupboard basic everyone should keep on hand. There are lots of food items made with rice, like rice balls, vegetable rice, chicken rice, and Chinese, and the same rice can be used as sweet rice, which represents the traditional Asian dish Zarda.
This Zarda rice is sweet rice in which sugar and other sweet ingredients are used to make it perfectly delicious. This dish is mostly made on special occasions like Eid, any wedding, or any other party event. Zarda is mostly served with different dry fruits and the flavor saffron, mostly in orange or yellow color depending on which food color you used to give it a colorful look.
You can take a cooking course through which you can better understand how to make this dish perfectly. The ingredients are very simple and also available in your home kitchen; if not, you can buy them from any nearest store.
What Is Zarda Rice?
Zarda is a traditional Pakistani dessert and is frequently used as a festive dish for distinct events such as birthdays, wedding ceremonies, or outings such as Eid. Renowned for its profound yellow color, Zarda comes from the term Zard, which means yellow in Urdu.
Zarda is complete with modest materials like rice, sugar, and milk, and is frequently very appropriately called ‘Meethe Chawal’, which straight-forwardly interprets as Sugary Rice. An alternative mutual name for it is Zarda Pulao, which refers to the rice presence pervaded with ghee, sugar, flavors, and nuts.
Ingredients Used To Make Zarda
These are the following ingredients used in the Zarda: it includes;
• Rice: use long-ounce old rice for this Zarda recipe.
• Sugar: You can regulate the quantity of sugar to your taste.
• Saffron: Saffron is valued for this joyful dessert.
• Orange color: this is elective to offer the Zarda its vivacious color. But if you favor you can neglect it, and your Zarda will be a bright yellow.
• Ghee or Butter: Ghee or simplified butter is usually used for this process. On the other hand, butter is a prodigious auxiliary.
Cinnamon stick: we sauté the cinnamon in ghee to carry out its savors. The cinnamon complements the deep and crazy taste of the Zarda.
Nuts & Dry Fruits: Raisins, almonds, and pistachios are regularly used in this dish, and you’ll discover lightened and skinned almonds and pistachios in Zarda, beside raisins.
Use all the ingredients because these are all necessary to add; if you skip any of them, the Zarda will not be cooked perfectly. Now let’s take a look at how to prepare the Zarda most simply.
How to Prepare the Zarda
The process is very easy, but you need to follow it carefully if you are making this dish for the first time. It includes;
• First, you need to rinse and steep the rice for a minimum of 20 minutes.
• Now you need to steep the almonds and pistachios in a small vessel of water and heat them in the microwave for one minute.
• After that, put it on one side to cool. Now, remove the skin from the almonds and pistachios.
• After this, take a large pot and add butter or ghee to it on medium heat.
• Once the ghee has heated, add the cinnamon twig. Let it tint in butter or ghee until it is aromatic.
• Now it’s time to add 1 cup of water and limited strands of saffron, sugar, and orange food color if consuming.
• After adding all these ingredients, mix them well so that everything can be added equally.
• Now you can add the saturated and skinned almonds, pistachios, and raisins, and with that, also add the soaked rice.
• Upsurge the temperature to high, and once the water comes to a simmer, turn the heat down to low, cover the lid, and let it cook for 20–30 minutes.
• When the rice is completely cooked, use a fork to fuzz the rice.
This is the simplest method to prepare the sweet rice Zarda in just an hour if you have everything on the table. Just follow the methods and easily make that rice and enjoy it with your friends and family on any occasion. You can also take a cooking course to learn how to make it more delicious and perfect.
Instructions and Serving Ideas
There are the following things you need to consider while presenting a dish in front of everyone:
• You can savor your Zarda rice with further faded almonds and pistachios if you have them at that time.
• Also, add extra nuts, or neglect them if you choose your Zarda without nuts and raisins.
• Leftover Zarda rice can be kept in the fridge for 3-5 days.
• If the rice has become slightly dry, add a small amount of milk or water while warming it.
• Present a dish that is your favorite, so you will serve it with more love.
Sum Up
This is how good-looking Zarda looks when you prepare it completely. It is certainly, in my view, one of the finest Pakistani desserts out there, and it doesn’t even need ample garnish to make it look spectacular. From its beautiful shade to its colorful spattering of nuts and raisins, Zarda is certainly a favorite dish, and how delightful or sustaining it is after a salted and hot repast.