Zarda Pulao

This is a traditional Mughlai sweet dish, which is must for every occasion. It is easy to make and consists of simple ingredients rather than rich and calorie rich ingredients.

• 1 cup basmati rice
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 teaspoon of yellow powdered food coloring
• 8 cardamoms
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 -7 tablespoons oil

Directions:

Take a coffee mug fill it with water and add almonds to it after sometime take the skin off , cut them length wise across. Keep aside.

Take another coffee mug, fill it with water and add raisins to it after 1 minute drain the water and keep aside.

FOR RICE: Put 4 cups of water in a sauce pan, add 3 cardamoms and food color, bring to boil, add the rice in it.Keep the heat on high.

When rice is half way cooked turn the heat off and drain the water. Keep the rice aside.
In a separate sauce pan , heat the oil, break 5 cardamoms add them in, cook for few seconds, add little less than ½ cup of water. Cover the sauce pan with lid as soon as you add water. Then add sugar and stir around till it’s well dissolved, add raisins and rice and almonds. Mix the rice so that it’s covered with the sugar syrup and the raisins and almonds are evenly distributed.

Keep the heat on medium for 5 min or till all the liquid in the rice is gone. Add 2 teaspoon of oil on the top of rice for a little gloss. Now, cover the top of sauce pan with a foil paper and put the lid on, place the pan on a tawa and cook it on a lower heat for 5 minute Reduce the heat further to the lowest for another 6-7min. AND you are DONE!