Zarda - Sweet Saffron Rice

The Indian Cooking Challenge for March is a delicious sweet dish with rice from the Kashmiri Cuisine, Zarda ~ Sweet Saffron Rice. This recipe is adapted from Vaishali. The name Zarda comes from Persian and Urdu 'zard' meaning 'yellow', hence named since the food coloring added to the rice gives it a yellow color. This recipe includes the rich inclusion of saffron, nuts and tutti fruity etc.

Ingredients:

Basmati rice - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Pistachio (chopped) - 6 to 8
Almond (chopped) - 6 to 8
Candied fruits, raisans, tutti fruity - handful
Cloves - 3
Cinnamon - 2"
Ghee - 3 tsp
Green cardamoms - 4 to 6
Milk - 1/2 cup
Yellow Food Color - a pinch
Saffron Strands - a pinch

Method:

1. Wash and soak the basmati rice for 15 mins.
2. Take sugar and enough water to cover, make syrup. Set aside.
3. Soak the saffron in a tsp of warm milk, keep it aside.
4. Take ghee and heat it. Add cinnamon, clove, and cardamoms and saute, then add drained rice and 1 cup of water.
5. When the water starts drying then add milk, yellow colour. Cover and cook in simmer. Finally add sugar syrup.
6. Roast all the dry fruits in ghee.
7. When the rice is cooked garnish with nuts, raisans, and tutti fruity.