Basanti Pulao — Sweet Saffron Rice
A fragrant, mildly sweet saffron-turmeric rice studded with fried cashews and raisins, served at Bengali weddings and Durga Puja feasts alongside kosha mangsho.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 380 kcal
Equipment
- •Heavy-bottomed pot
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- fat
- 12 g
- carbs
- 62 g
- fibre
- 1 g
- protein
- 6 g
- calories
- 380 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Drain the soaked rice. Spread it onto a tray to air-dry for 10 minutes.
- 2
Heat ghee (clarified butter) in a heavy pot. Fry the cashews and raisins until golden and plump, then set aside.
- 3
In the same ghee, sizzle the bay leaf, cardamom and cinnamon until fragrant.
- 4
Add the rice and turmeric powder. Gently fry for 4–5 minutes without breaking the grains.
- 5
Pour in 550 ml hot water, salt and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- 6
Stir in the saffron-milk mixture if using. Cover and cook on low heat for about 15 minutes until the water absorbs and rice cooks.
- 7
Fluff the rice gently with a fork. Mix in the fried cashews and raisins.
- 8
Keep the pot covered to rest for 5 minutes. Serve warm.
Chef's tips
Fry the rice gently in ghee before adding water to keep grains separate. Adjust sugar to taste so the dish stays mildly sweet.
Ingredient substitutions
- gobindobhog rice → basmati rice as a substitute
Storage
Refrigerate for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
Reheating
Reheat in a covered pan with a splash of water, fluffing gently.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Stirring the rice roughly while cooking, which breaks the delicate grains.
- •Adding too much sugar, which overpowers the aromatic spices.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Basanti Pulao — Sweet Saffron Rice?
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