Mamta's Kitchen

Sweet Rice 3, Pineapple Zarda Pulao/Pilaf Rice

Zarda Pulao with Ananas

Mayank Kumar

DessertIndianMainSweetVegetarian

Zarda Pulao is basically sweet rice, made with a few select spices and dry fruits. Different flavourings can be used, like saffron, cardamoms, cinnamon, rose etc. It is generally served at weddings, Hindu festivals, Eid and other special occasions. This version uses tinned pineapples. Try it with dry apricots, walnuts, figs etc. for a different flavour. When an north Indian, Hindu bride arrives at her husband's family home for the first time after the wedding, she is often welcomed into his home with Sweet Rice, offered to her by all senior members of his family. Serves 6 as a dessert.

The 1st picture shows slightly over cooked rice, each grain should be separate. If you have a better picture, please send it in. This dish can be made in a slow cooker or a rice cooker, just follow the instructions of your appliance.

Mayank is Mamtas younger sister's son, who lives in Delhi, he is a very able cook.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Basmati rice

  • 3 cups milk

  • 1 cup water

  • 2 cups sugar

  • 3/4 cup ghee

  • 450 gm. tinned or 1 fresh pineapple, chopped into cubes

  • 6 cloves

  • 3-4 pieces cinnamon

  • 1/2 tsp. pineapple essence

  • A few drops of yellow food colour (Optional). If you have Saffron (kesar), use a few threads of that instead.

  • 2 tbsp. raisins

  • 6-7 almonds, blanched and sliced*

  • 7-8 pistachios (not the salted ones) blanched and sliced*

  • *I use a garlic slicer for this. It is never used to slice garlic, for obvious reasons!

Instructions

  1. Wash and drain the rice.

  2. Put it in a pan and pour milk and water over it.

  3. Add cloves and cinnamon and ghee.

  4. Bring to a brisk boil and then turn the heat down to medium or low.

  5. While the rice is cooking, drain tinned pineapples, saving the syrup.

  6. Place the syrup from the tin of pineapple and sugar in a pan. If using fresh pineapple, use 1 cup water in place of syrup from the tin, add 1 cup sugar to it and bring to boil. Boil until it has a 2 thread consistency.

  7. Then add pineapple pieces, essence, colour and raisins to the syrup. Take off the heat and keep aside.

  8. When rice is cooked, add the syrup with pineapple pieces to the rice and mix gently.

  9. Cook on low heat, without a lid, until all the liquid is absorbed.

  10. Garnish with slices of almonds and pistachios.

  11. Serve hot or cold.

  12. You can use a couple of edible sliver leaves as a garnish too. Simply ease them off on top, after you have transferred the rice to a serving dish.

Notes

  • To blanch almonds and pistachios, place them in a small bowl with just enough water to cover and microwave on full power for 2 minutes. Leave to cool for 15 minutes. The skins will easily slip off. Then slice thinly using any method of choice.

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