Zarda ( Sweet Rice )

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

So I was at my mothers house when she decided she wanted to make Zarda for dessert

so I took this as a great opportunity to blog my mothers Zarda recipe from her home. :)

A simple yummy dessert.

Ingredients

2 cups Basmati Rice
1 and 3/4 cups of sugar
2 tbsn coconut shavings
2tbsn almonds
2tbsm pistachios
Tbsn raisins
5 cups water (for par boiling rice)
Pinch of salt
1/4 tspn Cardamom powder
125g Butter
Half cup of water

Half teaspoon food colouring

Method

1.Soak rice for half hour.
2. Boil almonds and pistachios then peel almond skin and leave to soak in cool water with pistachios and raisins. 

3. Heat water in another pot and when boiled Add food colouring then when comes to boil add the rice. Add pinch of salt and Cook on high.

4. After five minutes rice should be slightly undercooked, al dente, then drain. Set aside.

5. Now in same pan melt butter on low heat. When melted add sugar and half cup of water. Cook till sugar has dissolved. If you don't add some water the sugar will clump and not dissolve. Keep sitting to avoid burning. When frothing add the raisins almonds and pistachios, cook further.

6. When it reached sticky stringy consistently add rice and very gently combine in folding motion. Do not be too rough as it will break rice. Make sure the rice is evenly coated in sugar syrup.

7. Add few drops of Kewrah water, if you don't have this you can use rose water. Cook on medium heat for 2 mins then give stir folding with a fork ever so gently. 

8. Turn heat down low and cover and leave till until it dries up. 

9. Pop into pre heated oven at gas mark 4 or leave on top of cooker with diffuser underneath the pan, leave for another 5-8 mins so rice fluffs up. 

10. Serve and enjoy!

Bil-hana wa ash shifa'a.