Meethe Chawal or Zarda is an aromatic and sweet saffron rice pulao. It is considered one of the most auspicious dishes to celebrate festivals such as Baisakhi, Lohri, Bengali New Year, or Eid. Be sure to watch the video!
About Meethe Chawal
Desserts made with rice are widely popular in the Indian subcontinent.
As per the folklore, it is considered a good omen, to combine rice with sugar, and milk and serve as a sacred offering to the deity of the family. Meethe Chawal is one such popular festive Indian dessert .
The dish has different regional names – mishti pulao, zarda, sweet rice, meetha pulao. All these regional names refer to a decadent, aromatic, sweet, and savory rice pulao. The earthy taste of whole spices and the sweetness of saffron make this sweet pulao a perfect melody of flavors.
Enriched with the aroma of saffron and cardamom, this zarda pulao is the fitting end to a conventional festive meal.
My Tried & True Tips
Always make sure to use long grain good quality basmati rice for making the zarda.
While cooking rice for zarda, make sure it is not mushy or sticky . Hence, it is best to cook it in a wide heavy bottom saucepan.
After cooking the rice for meethe chawal, allow it to sit on a colander for a few minutes to drain all the water from the rice. This step helps in making a perfectly fluffy zarda.
Many recipes suggest adding food color, but I stick only to saffron and a tiny bit of turmeric.
To make Zarda pulao more rich and indulgent, one can add grated khoya (mawa), orange zest, fried coconut, edible rose petals, and chironji .
Watch Video
Storing Suggestion
The leftover sweet pulao or meethe chawal can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 – 5 days. Allow the zarda to cool down completely before storing.
How To Reheat
Microwave Method: Transfer the sweet rice to a microwave-safe bowl, cover the bowl with a lid, heat for 3 minutes, stir the rice using a fork and once again heat for another 3 minutes. This way you will get perfectly warm sweet pulao.
Gas Stove Method: Transfer sweet pulao to a heavy bottom frying pan. Sprinkle ¼ cup of water over the rice. Then, close the pan with a lid and heat over low flame for 3 – 5 minutes. Don’t forget to stir the pulao halfway through the heating time.
More Mughlai Dessert Recipes
Rice Phirni
Seviyan Ki Kheer
Kesar Pista Kulfi
Baked Shahi Tukda
Double Ka Meetha
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Ingredients
Ingredients For Cooking Rice:
- ▢ 1 Cup long grain basmati rice
- ▢ an inch stick of cinnamon (dal chini)
- ▢ 4 cloves (laung)
- ▢ 1 bay leaf (tej patta)
- ▢ 4 green cardamoms (elaichi)
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon saffron (kesar)
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
Ingredients For Meethe Chawal:
- ▢ ¼ Cup ghee (clarified butter)
- ▢ 2 tablespoon cashews (kaju)
- ▢ 2 tablespoon golden raisins (kishmish)
- ▢ 2 tablespoon sliced almonds
- ▢ 2 tablespoon sliced pistachio
- ▢ ½ Cup milk
- ▢ ⅓ Cup sugar or to taste
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon saffron
Ingredients For Garnish:
- ▢ 1 teaspoon edible rose petals
Instructions
How To Make Rice:
- Clean, wash and soak the rice for 15 minutes in water.
- In a large saucepan, add soaked rice, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, salt, saffron strands, turmeric powder, and water. Stir to combine.
- Cook till the rice is parboiled (halfway cooked through). Turn off the heat. Drain the water from the cooked rice and let it sit on a metal colander. Remove the whole spices.
How To Make Meethe Chawal:
- Heat ghee in a heavy bottom wide skilet.
- Fry the dry fruits for 5 – 10 seconds in the ghee and transfer half of them to a bowl.
- Add milk over the remaining dry fruits, stir and cook for 1 – 2 minutes or till it reduces a bit in quantity.
- Next, add the prepared rice and spread it evenly.
- Add sugar, fried dry fruits, and saffron strands. Close the skillet with a tight-fitting lid. Allow the rice to cook and absorb the flavor of aromatics at the lowest heat.
- Cook the rice this way for 5 – 10 minutes. Turn off the heat. And do not open the lid of the skillet until you are ready to serve the sweet pulao.
- Open the lid of the pan, gently fluff the rice using a fork and garnish with rose petals.
- Serve Meethe Chawal or Zarda pulao warm.
Recipe Notes:
- Always make sure to use long grain good quality basmati rice for making the zarda.
- While cooking rice for zarda, make sure it is not mushy or sticky . Hence, it is best to cook it in a wide heavy bottom saucepan.
- After cooking the rice for sweet pulao, allow it to sit on a colander for a few minutes to drain all the water from the rice. This step helps in making a perfectly fluffy zarda.
- Many recipes suggest adding food color, but I stick only to saffron and a tiny bit of turmeric.
- To make Zarda pulao more rich and indulgent, one can add grated khoya (mawa), orange zest, fried coconut, edible rose petals, and chironji .
- You can store leftover zarda in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 – 5 days.
- You can reheat zarda pulao in a microwave.
Nutrition
We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy
Meethe Chawal Recipe
Equipment
- Heavy Bottom Kadhai
Ingredients
Ingredients For Cooking Rice:
- 1 Cup long grain basmati rice
- an inch stick of cinnamon (dal chini)
- 4 cloves (laung)
- 1 bay leaf (tej patta)
- 4 green cardamoms (elaichi)
- ¼ teaspoon saffron (kesar)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
Ingredients For Meethe Chawal:
- ¼ Cup ghee (clarified butter)
- 2 tablespoon cashews (kaju)
- 2 tablespoon golden raisins (kishmish)
- 2 tablespoon sliced almonds
- 2 tablespoon sliced pistachio
- ½ Cup milk
- ⅓ Cup sugar or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon saffron
Ingredients For Garnish:
- 1 teaspoon edible rose petals
Instructions
How To Make Rice:
- Clean, wash and soak the rice for 15 minutes in water.
- In a large saucepan, add soaked rice, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, salt, saffron strands, turmeric powder, and water. Stir to combine.
- Cook till the rice is parboiled (halfway cooked through). Turn off the heat. Drain the water from the cooked rice and let it sit on a metal colander. Remove the whole spices.
How To Make Meethe Chawal:
- Heat ghee in a heavy bottom wide skilet.
- Fry the dry fruits for 5 - 10 seconds in the ghee and transfer half of them to a bowl.
- Add milk over the remaining dry fruits, stir and cook for 1 - 2 minutes or till it reduces a bit in quantity.
- Next, add the prepared rice and spread it evenly.
- Add sugar, fried dry fruits, and saffron strands. Close the skillet with a tight-fitting lid. Allow the rice to cook and absorb the flavor of aromatics at the lowest heat.
- Cook the rice this way for 5 - 10 minutes. Turn off the heat. And do not open the lid of the skillet until you are ready to serve the sweet pulao.
- Open the lid of the pan, gently fluff the rice using a fork and garnish with rose petals.
- Serve Meethe Chawal or Zarda pulao warm.
Video
Notes
- Always make sure to use long grain good quality basmati rice for making the zarda.
- While cooking rice for zarda, make sure it is not mushy or sticky . Hence, it is best to cook it in a wide heavy bottom saucepan.
- After cooking the rice for sweet pulao, allow it to sit on a colander for a few minutes to drain all the water from the rice. This step helps in making a perfectly fluffy zarda.
- Many recipes suggest adding food color, but I stick only to saffron and a tiny bit of turmeric.
- To make Zarda pulao more rich and indulgent, one can add grated khoya (mawa), orange zest, fried coconut, edible rose petals, and chironji .
- You can store leftover zarda in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 - 5 days.
- You can reheat zarda pulao in a microwave.
Nutrition
Chundo is a sweet, spicy, and savoury green mango chutney. It is a gluten-free, vegan Indian relish that you can store for months. Here is an instant chunda recipe that is surely worth bookmarking.
- About Aam Chunda
- Ingredients Required
- How To Make Chunda
- Serving Suggestion
- My Tried and True Tips
- More Mango Recipe
- Instant Chunda Recipe
About Aam Chunda
Chunda is a popular Gujarati condiment made with raw mango (kairi), sugar, and spices. It is a cross between a chutney, jam, and a murabba. It is also known as chundo, keri no chundo, or aam ki meethi chutney.
The origin of this sweet and savoury mango chutney might have happened in the era when imported jams and spreads were a luxury item in India.
The traditional method of making an authentic chundo is a time and labour-intensive process.
I am sharing with you an instant chunda recipe that is surely worth bookmarking. This mango chundo is:
- vegan friendly
- gluten and nut-free
- easy to store and pack
- makes an excellent edible gift
- perfect for lunch boxes and travel meals
Ingredients Required
- Mango: Use unripe, raw, or green mango, also known as Kairi or kaccha aam or achaar ka aam in India. Discard the stone and skin. Use only the pulp.
- Sugar: I use granulated white sugar for making a variety of fruit relish and jam.
- Seasoning: Salt, Red Chili Powder, Cumin Powder, Turmeric
How To Make Chunda
Step 1) Wash and wipe dry the green mangoes (kachha aam). Peel off the skin. Grate the mango pulp using bigger holes of a manual grater or a food processor ( image 1 ). Discard the stone.
Step 2) Combine sugar and grated mango in a bowl ( images 2 & 3 ). Cover and set aside for 30 minutes. The sugar will dissolve and the fruit will release its juices ( image 4 ).
Step 3) Transfer the grated mango along with the syrup to a heavy-duty pan. Turn on the heat. Start cooking the chunda.
Step 4) Let the mango chutney cook over low flame till all the liquid is evaporated and the mango is cooked through. Keep stirring at regular intervals.
Step 5) At this stage, sugar is nicely melted and the chutney has a glass-like sheen. Add salt and spices. Stir to combine and cook the mango chutney for 2 – 3 minutes more.
Tasting the Mango Chutney in between is the right way to check for doneness. Once cooked as per your preference, turn off the heat.
The whole cooking process takes less than 30 minutes.
Let the chunda cool completely before storing.
Serving Suggestion
A large batch of aam chunda sealed in the glass jars, safely secured, to be relished till the next season of green mangoes, was always the highlight of my mother’s kitchen and my school lunchbox.
In between the drowsy lectures at school, sweet mango chutney was the only hope that used to keep us chirpy till recess time. The simple triangle paratha packed in the lunch box tasted best with her aam chundo.
Serve sweet mango chutney with warm, methi paratha or piping hot puri for a gratifying Indian breakfast . It tastes excellent even on a bread toast as well.
My Tried and True Tips
- For a luscious, fibrous texture , while grating, try to get the long shreds of green mango. I prefer using the bigger holes of the grater for the purpose.
- DO NOT COOK chundo for too long. The sugar will start forming crystals resulting in hard and chewy chutney.
- Two Thread Consistency Test. Cook until the chutney reaches a two-thread consistency i.e. when pressed two threads are formed (and do not break) when your forefinger and your thumb are pulled apart gently. The chutney should be sticky, with a melt-in-mouth texture.
- Store chunda in a clean, sterilized jar and store it in the refrigerator. You can store it at room temperature as well in cold climatic regions. But make sure to use a clean and dry spoon every time to scoop out the chunda.
- Additional spices like a pinch of asafoetida, garam masala , rock salt, black salt, or a dash of coriander powder.
More Mango Recipe
- Aam Panna
- Mango Jam
- Mango Lassi
- Aam Ki Launji
- Mango Shrikhand
- Instant Mango Pickle
Get all my Mango Recipes here
Ingredients
- ▢ 4 green mangoes (kachhi kairi)
- ▢ 1 Cup granulated white sugar
- ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ▢ 1 tablespoon cumin powder (jeera powder)
- ▢ 1 tablespoon red chilli powder
Instructions
- To prepare the chunda, first, wash and wipe dry the raw mangoes. Peel off the skin, grate the mangoes from bigger holes of the grater and discard the stone inside the mango.
- Combine sugar and grated mango in a bowl. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes. The sugar will dissolve and the fruit will release its juices.
- Transfer the grated mango along with the syrup to a heavy-duty pan. Turn on the heat. Start cooking the chunda.
- Let the Mango Chutney simmer on low flame until all the water has dried up, the sugar is nicely melted and the grated mango has glass like sheen. This usually takes less than 20 minutes or so depending upon the quantity of chutney. Keep stirring at regular intervals.
- Tasting the Mango Chutney in between is the right way to check for doneness. Once cooked as per your preference, add salt and spices. Stir to combine and cook the mango chutney for 2 – 3 minutes more.
- Let the chunda cool completely at room temperature before storing.
- Transfer chunda to a clean and dry jar. Store it in the refrigerator.
- Serve chunda with poori or methi paratha .
Recipe Notes:
- Always use the bigger whole of the manual grater to grate the mangoes.
- Make sure not to add any water while cooking the chutney.
- Adjust the amount of sugar and spices according to the taste of mangoes. If they are sourer then increase the quantity of sugar.
- Allow the chutney to cool down completely before storing it.
- Store the chutney in a clean and dry jar with a tight-fitting lid.
- You can store it at room temperature for a week and in the refrigerator for a year.
Nutrition
We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy
