What is Zarda?
Zarda is a popular dessert made from aromatic long grain basmati rice, ghee, spices, sugar, saffron, and nuts in India and Pakistan. Generally served as an after-meal dessert for special occasions such as weddings, festivals, etc. This sweet rice dish is known by two names: Zarda pulao in Urdu, which means “yellow rice,” and Meethe Chawal in Hindi, which means “sweet rice”. Also known as Kesari meethe chawal, Kashmiri meethe chawal, and Zarda rice. Typically food color is added in the zarda recipe, but I have skipped it. So instead, I have got this faint yellow color to the sweet rice from the saffron and a pinch of turmeric. Today I have shared the making of Zarda Pulao/ Meethe Chawal (sweet rice) in Instant Pot and stovetop pressure cooker. Let me know if you tried this recipe in the comments section.
Ingredients
Rice - Traditionally, basmati rice is used to make this dessert. I highly recommend using only basmati rice for this recipe, because it’s fragrant, has long grains, and is non-sticky. Sugar: 1 cup of sugar is used for 1 cup of rice for the traditional Zarda recipe. I have reduced the quantity to ¾ cup sugar. Saffron milk: I have added Saffron strands into warm milk and soaked them for 20 minutes so that it releases yellow color faster. I have also added a pinch of organic turmeric to this dish. Ghee - Adding a good quantity of ghee, enhances the taste and texture of the dish. If you are a vegan, replace ghee with neutral flavor oil. Whole Spices - Cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. Nuts & Dried Coconut - I have used cashews, almonds, raisins, and dry coconut for this sweet dessert. You can skip dry coconut if you don’t have it.
How to Make Zarda Pulao (Sweet Rice) in Instant Pot
Soak Saffron (Kesar) strands in warm milk for at least 20 minutes. Saffron releases the color faster on warm milk and gives a nice yellow color to the dessert. Firstly, sanitize the Instant Pot parts well before making the sweet dish. Press SAUTE (normal) setting on Instant Pot. Add ghee to the pot. Once hot, add dry fruits like cashews, almonds, raisins, and dry coconut, and roast them in the ghee until they turn light golden brown. Remove and keep aside. Then add whole spices like cinnamon stick, cardamom, and cloves and saute for a few seconds till aromatic. Then, add rinsed basmati rice, sugar, saffron milk, turmeric (optional), and water to the instant pot. Stir well & Deglaze the pot. Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and the timer to 6 minutes. Note: Typically, I pressure-cook rice for 5 minutes. As we add sugar, we need more cooking time, which increases to 6 minutes. Once the pot beeps, allow Natural Pressure Release. Then open the lid and gently fluff the rice with a fork. Lastly, add the reserved toasted nuts and coconut and mix well. Enjoy the delicious and aromatic Instant Pot Zarda Pulao/Meethe Chawal warm.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method
Follow the same steps from the instant pot instructions. Pressure cook on medium heat for 1-2 whistles and let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. All the other steps remain the same.
Tips & Variations
Sanitize the Instant Pot steel insert, lid, and sealing ring before making the sweet dish. I always keep an extra sealing ring for sweets separately. Adjust the sugar according to your preference. You can use coconut sugar or jaggery, or brown sugar instead of refined sugar. Add nuts of your choice. I have not used artificial food color in this dish, so feel free to add one. To get a nice yellow color to the rice, I added a pinch of turmeric along with saffron. I haven’t pre-soaked rice in water for making this recipe, but if you soak it for 20-30 minutes, then reduce the water for cooking by ¼ cup.
More Instant Pot Desserts
Badam Halwa Recipe (with Almond Flour) Carrot halwa instant pot Instant Pot Rice Kheer Moong Dal Payasam More Dessert Recipes
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