Zarda
زردہ
Zarda is the sweet rice of Pakistani weddings, dawats and Eid lunches, its bright yellow grains studded with nuts, raisins and glistening murabba. The method is close to a biryani: the rice is boiled to the stage, folded into a ghee and sugar syrup scented with cloves and cardamom, then finished on so every grain stays separate and soaks up the sweetness. This is the everyday home version, with an optional handful of murabba for a wedding feel.
- ⏱ Total: 1 hr 10 min
- Prep: 35 min
- Cook: 35 min
- Medium
- Serves 8
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Wash the rice until the water runs clear and soak it for 30 minutes. Soak the saffron in the warm milk.
Bring 8 cups of water to a rolling boil in a large with the food colour and 3 cardamom pods. Add the drained rice and boil for 6–7 minutes until it reaches : soft outside with a firm, white core.
Drain the rice in a colander straight away and spread it out a little so it stops cooking.
Heat the ghee in a heavy over medium heat. Add the cloves and remaining cardamom, then the almonds, raisins and coconut, and fry for about 1 minute until the raisins puff up.
Add the sugar and a quarter cup of water and stir for 3–4 minutes until the sugar melts into a thick, bubbling syrup.
Tip in the rice and fold it through the syrup gently with a flat spoon, without breaking the grains. Cook on medium heat for 3–4 minutes until the syrup bubbles up through the rice and most of it is absorbed.
Drizzle the saffron milk and kewra over the top and scatter the murabba. Cover tightly, put a under the pot and leave on the lowest heat for 15 minutes on .
Turn off the heat and fluff the zarda gently from the sides. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with the pistachios.
Kitchen notes
Stop boiling at kanni. Fully cooked rice breaks when it is folded into the syrup and turns mushy on dum.
If the zarda is still wet after dum, uncover it and leave it on low heat for a few more minutes. If it looks dry, sprinkle a few tablespoons of hot water before closing the lid.
A little colour goes a long way. Too much food colour makes zarda look artificial and can leave a bitter aftertaste.
The sweet rice of celebrations
Zarda takes its name from zard, the Persian word for yellow, and it came to the subcontinent with the Mughal kitchens. In Pakistan it is a fixture at weddings, where it is served alongside biryani and qorma, and many homes make it for Eid, for milad and for niyaz. Its cousin, mutanjan, is an even richer, multicoloured version piled with khoya, chum chum and murabba.
Cooked like a biryani
Good zarda has separate, glossy grains, never a sticky mass, and the method is what makes that happen. The rice is boiled in plenty of coloured water only to the kanni stage, then drained. It finishes cooking in the sugar syrup, absorbing it as it softens, so the sweetness goes all the way into each grain. The final on a tawa over the lowest heat lets the steam finish the job without the bottom catching. Fold gently with a flat spoon at every stage; stirring breaks the long grains.
Variations
- Mutanjan: add crumbled , small chum chum and several colours of rice for the wedding-style dish.
- Saffron only: skip the food colour and use more saffron for a naturally golden zarda.
- Gur zarda: use jaggery in place of sugar for a darker, earthier taste, popular in some Punjabi villages.
Storing and serving
Zarda is served warm or at room temperature, often as the final dish at a dawat. Leftovers keep for three to four days in the fridge. Warm them covered with a sprinkle of water so the grains soften again, and add fresh nuts on top.
Questions people ask
Can I make zarda without food colour?
Yes. Use a generous pinch of saffron in both the boiling water and the milk. The colour will be a softer golden yellow, which many people prefer.
Which rice is best for zarda?
Long-grain basmati or sella basmati. Sella holds its shape especially well, which is why many caterers use it. Give sella a longer soak and a couple of extra minutes of boiling.
How do I reheat zarda?
Sprinkle it with a little water or milk, cover and warm on low heat for 5 minutes, or microwave covered. It keeps for 3–4 days in the fridge.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 545
- Protein
- 5 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Carbs
- 88 g
