Zarda - Sweet Saffron Rice

I need to give a break to my traditional Rajasthani dishes i have been showcasing since a week in my space for  blogging marathon. For the last day of blogging marathon with traditional dishes as theme, am posting here a delicious traditional Kashmiri sweet dish with rice. This Zarda is a sweet saffron rice dessert in which rice is cooked with sugar syrup,milk,saffron and nuts. Muslim community named it as Zarda eventhough this dish is well known as Meethe chawal in North India.

Obviously this dish is a fantabulous and royal treat for peoples whoever loves sweet rice.Srivalli challenged this Zarda for this month's Indian Cooking Challenge and this dish is suggested by Vaishali.Thanks to both, seriously i loved this flavourful dessert and a prefect feast for my sweet tooth. If you are bored of usual sweet rice, dont forget to give a trial to this rich Zarda, am sure you will definitely love this.Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#27.

2cup Basmati rice (even long grain rice works wonder)
1cup Sugar
1/2cup Milk
3nos Cloves
2inch Cinnamon stick
3nos Green cardamoms
3tsp Ghee
6nos Pistachios
6nos Almonds
Saffron strands (few)
Pinch yellow food colour
Handful of tutti fruity (i skipped it)

Wash and soak the rice for 15minutes..

In a pan,make a sugar syrup with sugar covered with enough water.

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the ghee, add the cinnamon,cloves and cardamom, fry for few minutes.

Add immediately the drained rice and 2cups of water..

Once the water starts drying add the sugar syrup,milk,yellow food colour and saffron strands, cover and cook in simmer.

Heat a tsp of ghee and roast half of the nuts, add it to the cooking rice.

Once the rice is cooked, put off the stove.

Garnish it with remaining nuts and serve.