Zarda Recipe


Here's a basic recipe for zarda, a sweet and colorful South Asian rice dessert, with nuts:


Ingredients:


1 cup basmati rice

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup ghee (clarified butter)

1/4 cup mixed nuts (almonds, cashews, pistachios), chopped

1/4 teaspoon saffron strands

1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder

A pinch of orange food color

Water for cooking rice

Water for soaking saffron

Instructions:


Wash the rice thoroughly and soak it in water for about 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Dissolve the saffron strands in a little warm water and set aside.

In a pot, boil the soaked rice until it's about 70-80% cooked. The grains should still have a slight bite to them. Drain the rice and set aside.

In a separate pot, heat the ghee over medium heat. Add the chopped nuts and sauté until they turn golden brown. Remove the nuts and set them aside.

In the same pot, add the sugar and just enough water to cover it. Cook the sugar until it forms a syrup. You can test the syrup consistency by taking a drop of syrup between your fingers – it should form a soft thread.

Once the sugar syrup is ready, add the saffron water, cardamom powder, and orange food color Mix well.

Gently layer the partially cooked rice over the sugar syrup in the pot. Sprinkle half of the sautéed nuts on top of the rice.

Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and cook on low heat for about 15-20 minutes. This will allow the flavors to meld and the rice to fully cook in the syrup.

Once the rice is fully cooked, gently fluff it with a fork to mix in the syrup and flavors.

Serve the zarda hot, garnished with the remaining sautéed nuts on top.

Enjoy your delicious zarda with nuts! Feel free to adjust the sugar and ghee quantities according to your taste preferences.

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