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Zarda: photo of the dish
Illustrative photo: Miansari66 — CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Desserts

Zarda

Sweet rice flavoured with saffron, cardamom and dried fruit, typical of Mughlai Indian cooking and the festive meals of India and Pakistan. Its fragrance and golden colour make it a celebration dish.

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Ingredients

Ingredients

Riz

Parfum

Spices & seasoning

Optional extras

Nutrition facts

887 kcal per serving

Protein
16.5 g
Carbohydrates
152.1 g
of which sugars
33.8 g
Fat
22.6 g
of which saturated fat
10.2 g
Fiber
3.6 g

Ecomely’s estimate, calculated from the ingredients with the ANSES Ciqual food composition table, excluding sides and seasoning added to taste.

Instructions

  1. Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes, then rinse until the water runs clear.
  2. Melt half the butter in a casserole, toast the almonds, pistachios and raisins, then set aside.
  3. In the same butter, fry the cardamom and cloves for 1 minute, then add the drained rice and stir for 2 minutes.
  4. Pour in boiling water, add the sugar and salt, cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.
  5. Warm the milk with the saffron to release its colour, then drizzle the rice with the saffron milk and the rest of the melted butter.
  6. Cover again and let it rest off the heat for 10 minutes, then fluff the rice with a fork and mix in half of the dried fruit.
  7. Transfer to a dish, sprinkle with the remaining dried fruit and serve warm.

Variations and tips

With what you can find here. Saffron comes as threads at most grocers; a pinch of saffron extract will do.

Butter-free version. Replace the butter with a neutral oil; the taste will be a little less rich.

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Original Ecomely recipe.