Zarda pulao or meetha chawal is a simple saffron-flavored sweet rice made with sugar and nuts. Make this sweet pulav any time in your Instant Pot and enjoy any occasion.
I had a lot of options for the alphabet Z like zafrani pulav, zucchini pulav, etc. But I went with zarda pulav because I wanted to end this marathon with a sweet recipe. I started participating in these month-long April marathons from 2015. And I still can’t believe that this is my fifth year and I completed it, successfully. Phew! I hope you all enjoyed my posts. Thanks for all your love and support.
April always throws some surprise challenges, and it was the case this year too. I managed it somehow and completed this A-Z Biryani-Pulao series. As always, I learned a lot of recipes from my fellow bloggers and my bookmarks had increased exponentially. Hope I can try those delicious recipes soon. Anyways, now let’s get back to the Zarda pulao recipe.
Zarda:
Zarda is a dessert pulao that is typically served after a meal. Zard in Persian means yellow and zarda rice means yellow colored rice. But I learned that orange some versions use orange food color and for some different food colors are added to make the rice colorful. The traditional version has khoya/milk solids, nuts, raisins, and saffron. But I kept mine simple and sweet.
Also, I did not add any food color instead added a pinch of turmeric powder. I know its odd, but I did not want to add any artificial food color as I usually make this as Prashad/offering for God. When I go to the temple or on Thursdays, I try to make, and this Zarda pulao is one among them. I made this for taking it to the temple. As you can see in the pictures, I have pulao in the aluminum tray. I just took a small amount in the bowl for photos and kept it for us, and that tray went to the temple here.
Cooking Zarda Pulao in Instant Pot:
Usually, for other pulaos and biryanis, I soak the rice only for 20 minutes. But for this recipe, you can soak from 30 minutes to 40 minutes. I soaked for 30 minutes. Also, the cooking time is slightly high. I cooked the rice on high-pressure mode for 7 minutes and also released the pressure naturally. As we are adding sugar, we need more cooking time. If you are using sela basmati rice for this pulao, cook for 9 minutes.
Now let me share how I made this Zarda pulao in the Instant Pot.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp ghee, unmelted
- Ten almonds
- Ten cashews
- Two cardamom
- Two cloves
- Ten dried raisins
- 1/8 tsp turmeric
- Ten saffron strands soaked in 1/4 cup luke-warm water for 30 minutes
- 1 cup of water
- 1 cup basmati rice, washed and soaked in water for 30 minutes
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tbsps of milk or water
Prep-Work:
- Wash and soak the basmati rice for 30 minutes.
- Soak the saffron strands in luke-warm water for 30 minutes.
Steps:
- Set the Instant Pot in saute mode. When the display shows “HOT,” add the ghee and allow it to melt. Now add the almonds, cashews, raisins, cardamom, and cloves — Fry for 40 to 45 seconds.
- Add the plain water, and the saffron water and Turmeric powder. Mix it.
- Next add the sugar, rice and milk/water.
- Gently mix and let it simmer for just one minute.
- Press the cancel button and close the Instant Pot lid and make sure the vent is in the sealing position. Now pressure cook for 7 minutes in high pressure and release the pressure naturally.
- Carefully open the lid after releasing the pressure and allow the pulao to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Gently mix. Garnish it with crushed nuts and serve warm.
Recipe Notes-
- Make sure you are using a different sealing ring for the Instant Pot. I have two sealing rings, one for desserts and one for curries and biryanis. You don’t want your Zarda to smell like biryani.
- Add nuts of your choice. You can add crumbled khoya and pomegranate arils after cooking the rice as a garnish.
- Adjust the sugar according to your preference.
Zarda Pulao | Instant Pot Zarda Pulav
Ingredients
Instructions
Prep-Work:
- Wash and soak the basmati rice for 30 minutes.
- Soak the saffron strands in luke-warm water for 30 minutes.
Steps:
- Set the Instant Pot in saute mode and when the display shows "HOT," add the ghee and let it melt.
- Now add the almonds, cashews, raisins, cardamom, and cloves — Fry for 40 to 45 seconds.
- Add the plain water, and the saffron water and Turmeric powder. Mix it.
- Next add the sugar, rice and milk/water.
- Gently mix and let it simmer for just one minute.
- Press the cancel button and close the Instant Pot lid and make sure the vent is in the sealing position. Now pressure cook for 7 minutes in high pressure and release the pressure naturally.
- Carefully open the lid after releasing the pressure and allow the pulao to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Gently mix. Garnish it with crushed nuts and serve warm.
Notes
- Make sure you are using a different sealing ring for the Instant Pot. I have two sealing rings, one for desserts and one for curries and biryanis. You don't want your Zarda to smell like biryani.
- Add nuts of your choice. You can add crumbled khoya and pomegranate arils after cooking the rice as a garnish.
- Adjust the sugar according to your preference.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#99
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