Jorda Recipe Mithe Chawal (Indian Sweet Rice)

Whether you call it jorda pulao or meethe chawal, one thing remains the same: this bright and sunny dish is perfect for festive occasions. It is a fragrant, sweet pulao or sweet rice made with basmati rice, almonds, dry fruits and saffron. Best of all, you only need 8 ingredients and 30 minutes of active time to make my jorda recipe at home.

About Zorda Recipe

So named because of the word jorda pulao Jord It means ‘yellow’ in Persian and Urdu. Normal jorda pulao is also colored yellow by using yellow food colouring. In my jorda recipe, I used saffron to get that sunny color and didn’t use any artificial colors.

Jorda rice is prepared during festivals in our house. This is my mother-in-law’s recipe and it’s my go-to for this delicious dish. The method shared here is simple and not difficult.

Prefer sweet or subtly spiced rice dishes? Try our jaggery rice and kashmiri pulao next!

There are many variations of making jorda pulao in India as well as neighboring countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan. What I am sharing here is how we make jorda at home and it may not be considered authentic by all parties. That said, it is super delicious.

This jorda recipe makes a really delicious sweet rice that both adults and kids will love. There are various dry fruits and nuts that you can add to rice. I used a mixture of cashews, almonds and pistachios.

Raisins are also often added, but I had never made this batch. Add raisins if you have them, as they add a lovely pop of sweetness and chewy texture throughout.

Serve jorda rice as a sweet snack or dessert. The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled according to your needs.

Components and Substitutions

• Basmati rice – I love fragrant basmati rice for almost every recipe. That said, feel free to use any long grain rice you have on hand (like jasmine).
• cloves – I use whole cloves here for the strongest flavor. In a pinch, you can swap in ground cloves.
• Saffron – For bright yellow color and some flavor.
• the water – If possible, use filtered water for best taste.
• Ghee (clarified butter) – For prosperity. If you prefer to make this vegan, swap in edible coconut oil or vegan butter.
• Green cardamom powder – For warmth.
• sugar – For dessert. Feel free to use jaggery, cane sugar or any other sweetener of your choice.
• Almonds, cashews and pistachios – Any kind of toasted almonds can be used here. If you’re a nut-free household, you can also substitute seeds like pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or sunflower seeds. Alternatively, omit them altogether.
• raisins – These are my most used dried fruits, but feel free to use any that you and your family like.

Step by step guide

How to make jorda rice

These beautiful sweet chawals come together without much fuss. Here’s how it’s done:

Pressure cook rice

1. Wash half a cup of basmati rice very well in water until the water runs clear of starch. Then soak the basmati rice in enough water for 20 to 30 minutes.

After 20 to 30 minutes drain all the water and keep the rice aside.

2. In a 2 liter pressure cooker, pour 1 cup of water.

3. Add ⅛ teaspoon of saffron strands (3 to 4 pinches of saffron).

4. Stir with a spoon so that the saffron strands mix with the water.

5. Then add ½ cup soaked basmati rice.

6. Add 5 to 6 cloves. You can also add 7 to 9 cloves if you want.

7. Pressure cook on medium flame for 2 whistles or about 6 to 7 minutes.

8. Once the pressure settles, then open the lid and check if the rice is cooked.

9. Rice just needs to be cooked. Slowly pour in the rice. You can also choose to cook the rice grains until al dente.

Make jorda pulao

1. In a heavy wok or pan, add 3 tablespoons of ghee.

2. Spread the ghee around the pan with a spoon or spatula. This is done so that the rice grains do not stick to the pan while cooking.

3. Add the cooked rice to the pan.

4. Add half a cup of sugar.

5. Sprinkle ¾ teaspoon green cardamom powder. You can also add 1 teaspoon of cardamom powder for a more pronounced cardamom aroma.

6. Mix well but gently, so that the sugar mixes evenly with the cooked rice grains.

7. On low flame or low heat, cook the sweet rice mixture. You will see the sugar melt in the rice and some liquid consistency.

8. Stir the jorda rice mixture occasionally.

9. Cook until the sugar solution dries up.

If the rice grains feel hard, chewy or dense after cooking, cover the pan with a damp cloth or damp cotton napkin. Then cover with a lid and cook the jorda pulao on low flame for 20 to 30 seconds.

10. Once the sweet rice has no liquid consistency, then add 8 pistachios (chopped), 8 almonds (chopped) and 8 cashews (chopped).

11. Mix well and switch off the flame. If adding raisins, you can add them at this step.

12. Serve hot or hot with jorda or sweet chawal. Alternatively, you can spread the sweet rice on a large plate and then serve.

Garnish the jorda rice with some cashews, raisins, almonds and pistachios while serving. Enjoy!

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This jorda recipe from the archives, originally published in June 2017 and republished in February 2023.