Zarda – sweet rice with saffron and nuts

Zarda recipe - sweet rice with saffron and nuts

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Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving

Calories 469 Calories from Fat 189

% Daily Value*

Fat 21g32%

Saturated Fat 9g56%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Monounsaturated Fat 8g

Cholesterol 36mg12%

Sodium 115mg5%

Potassium 261mg7%

Carbohydrates 67g22%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 29g32%

Protein 7g14%

Vitamin A 623IU12%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 59mg6%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Zarda – sweet rice with saffron and nuts

This luxurious dessert is studded with pistachios, almonds and apricots.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Soaking time for rice:30

Total Time1 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: people

Calories: 469kcal

Author: Asma Khan

Equipment

Bowls
Large pan
heavy-based pan
Casserole dish

Ingredients

½ tsp saffron strands
2 tbsp milk
250 g basmati rice
100 g ghee or butter (or flavourless vegetable oil), plus extra for greasing
6 cloves
8 green cardamom pods
40 g shelled unsalted pistachios cut into thick slivers
40 g unsalted blanched almonds cut into thick slivers
30 g dried apricots cut into small cubes
150 g granulated sugar
2 tbsp kewra (screwpine) water or rose water

Method

Put the saffron in a small bowl, warm the milk to tepid and pour over the saffron strands.
Gently wash the rice in a large bowl with cold water (not under running water as this will break the tips of the rice, which will make the rice sticky). Change the water several times until it looks clear, then soak the rice in cold water for at least 30 minutes or up to three hours. Drain the rice well in a strainer.
Bring one-and-a-half-litres of water to the boil in a large pan. Add the rice once the water is boiling and boil until it is half done. It is hard to give an exact time for this as there are too many variables, but the way to check is to remove a single grain of rice from the hot water and squeeze it between your fingers – there should still be a hard core of slightly uncooked rice. Drain the half-cooked rice in a strainer and spread the rice thinly on a platter to cool and prevent it from continuing to cook.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4.
Heat the ghee or butter in a heavy-based pan over a medium–high heat. Add the cloves and cardamoms, followed by the pistachios, almonds and apricots. Add 250ml of cold water and the sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves.
Butter a casserole dish and add the rice, then pour over the warm, spice-infused sugar syrup. Add the saffron-infused milk and stir gently to ensure the saffron is evenly distributed. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 15 minutes.
Take the dish out of the oven. Gently fluff the rice, then re-cover and bake for another 10–15 minutes. Remove the foil and leave the dessert to stand for a few minutes.
Sprinkle the kewra or rose water over the warm rice before serving.

Nutrition