Grandmother Azra Syed’s Recipe for Sweetened Rice (Zarda)
Learn how Mrs. Azra Syed makes her traditional dessert, sweetened rice known as Zarda, a dish that often holds symbolic value on both happy and sad occasions.
Zarda (2020)SOCH Outreach Foundation
Zarda
Zarda, or 'meethe chawal' is a traditional Pakistani dessert that is served during moments of celebration or times of grief, a perennial fixture at almost every dessert table.
Here Mrs. Azra Syed shares her method of making Zarda, and perhaps it just might be similar to how your grandmother used to make it!
Ingredients:
500g/1 pound Basmati Rice (preferably Sella or easy cook),
3 cups sugar,
A pinch of orange color,
2 tbsp ghee,
4-5 cloves & cardamom,
½ cup raisins,
½ cup almonds and pistachios,
½ cup asharfi jelly pieces (optional)
Step 1: Soak the rice for at least two hours. Boil in water along with the orange color.
Step 2: When the rice is fully cooked, drain the water.
Step 3: Heat the ghee in a saucepan, and add cardamoms and cloves.
Step 4: When they swell and sputter add the rice and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar, cover and put on slow flame and allow to dry.
Step 5: Add kewra (screwpine) water and garnish with raisins, nuts and asharfi jelly. For a change you can garnish with small gulab jamuns and khoya (dried milk pieces) too.
Zarda (2020)SOCH Outreach Foundation
Ready to serve!
Produced by SOC Films
Project Director: Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy
Producers: Syed Ayub , Sameer Khan
Project Manager: Huma Shah
Director of Photography: Murtaza Ali
Photography: Karim Baig , Murtaza Ali
Photography Editor: Karim Baig
Additional Video & Photography: Khurram Victor
Exhibits Writer: Nazia Latif , Sameer Khan
Exhibits : Syed Ayub , Sameer Khan
Art Direction : Rahat Niazi
Associate Producer : Asad Pabani
Video Editors: Nina Zehri, Farhad Jamali
Color Grade: Sourath Behan
Additional Video Editing: Mishal Adhami
Sound Design: Sameer Khan
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