Special White Zarda - Authentic White Degi Zarda

Zarda is a traditional Indian subcontinental dish of boiled sweet rice that is flavored with cardamoms, raisins, pistachios, or almonds. In the Mughal era, it was made with saffron, milk, and sugar. Now it is prepared differently in different places.

Nowadays zarda is cooked in two forms. 1) orange zarda and 2) white zarda.

Special White zarda is usually eaten with great enthusiasm by the people. This Special White zarda is usually made for feasts, weddings,  festivals, and happy occasions for example, on the day of the 12th of Rabi'ul Awwal.

Nowadays people add a lot of dry fruits, chum chum, khoya, and gulab jamun in Special White zarda for decoration due to which its taste becomes doubled. Today on the special day of the 12th of Rabi Awwal I am sharing with you the recipe for a Special White zarda. Feed it to your family members, and friends and share it with the people around you.


Rabi ul Awwal Special Zarda Recipe - Special White Zarda Recipe
Special White zarda

 Ingredients for Special White zarda

  • Golden or Sela rice: 1 kg
  • Whole milk: 1-1/4 Cup
  • Green cardamoms: 7 to 8
  • Cloves: 5 to 7
  • Red food color: 1/4 Teaspoon 
  • Green food color: 1/4 Teaspoon 
  • Orange  food color: 1/4 Teaspoon 
  • Water for dissolving colors: 3 Tablespoon 
  • Red and Green tuti futi: 1-1/4 Cup
  • Sliced dried coconut: 1/3 Cup
  • Desiccated coconut: 1/4 Cup
  • Pistachios: 5 Tablespoon (Washed and Slightly roughly chopped)
  • Almonds: 5 Tablespoon  (Washed and Slightly roughly chopped)
  • Raisins: 1/4 Cup
  • Clarified butter or banaspati ghee: 1/2 Cup
  • Sugar: 2-1/4 Cup
  • Khoya: 250 Gram
  • Kevra water: 1 Tablespoon
  • Water: For boiling rice
  • Small-sized colored Cham Cham: 250 Gram
  • Small size gulab jamun: 250 gram

 Ingredients for garnishing

  • Cashew nuts: 1/2 Cup (Split into 2 pieces)
  • Sliced or crust almonds: 1/4 Cup
  • Sliced or crushed pistachios: 1/4 Cup
  • Raisins: 1/4 Cup
  • Khoya: 200 gram or as required 

preparation of Special White zarda

  1. Boil the rice in water and through a strainer drain water, Rice should be 100% done.
  2. Take 3 bowls and add 3 tablespoons of water to each bowl. Add separately red, green, and orange food colors then add 1 tablespoon of cooked rice in each bowl. Mix well and leave them for 3 to 5 minutes, strain rice from each bowl and keep it aside.
  3. Place a strainer over a bowl, add the tutti frutti, dried sliced coconut, raisins, almonds, and pistachios, and thoroughly rinse with water. After that strain water and keep it aside.
  4. Turn on the stove and put a pan on it.
  5. Add banaspati ghee to the pan and let it melt, After melting the ghee add slightly split green cardamom and cloves and cook for 30 seconds.
  6. Add sugar and give it a good mix.
  7. Now add milk and mix it nicely and bring it to a boil and cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved.
  8. After that add boiled rice and mix it into syrup. Cook rice on a high flame for 3 to 4 minutes until the water dries up. Meanwhile, keep mixing rice.
  9. Now add green, red, and orange-colored rice. Also, add crumbled khoya, slightly chopped dry fruits, and raisins.
  10. Now spread kevea water, desiccated coconut, cham cam, and gulab jamun.
  11. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel and steam cook for 10 to 15 minutes over low heat.
  12. Turn off the flame and dish out tits White zarda and garnish it with sliced coconut, pistachios, almonds, split Cashio nuts, and crumbled khoya. Now Special White zarda is ready to serve.