Mittha
saffron sweet rice studded with raisin, almond and apricot, the dish that closes every dham
Allergens in Mittha: milk, tree nuts.
Ingredients
Quantities for 6.
- 300g, rinsed and soaked 30 minutes Basmati Ricelong grain matters here - the rice must stay separate
- 250g Sugar
- 5 tbsp Ghee
- a generous pinch, soaked in 2 tbsp warm water Saffron
- 6 green, cracked Cardamom
- 3 Cloves
- 1 piece, 3cm Cinnamon
- 3 tbsp Raisins
- 20, blanched and slivered Almonds
- 10, quartered Dried Apricotthe Lahaul touch; dried apricot is the fruit these valleys actually grow
- 2 tbsp, slivered Dried Coconutoptional
- a pinch Salt
- 550ml Water
Cookware
stovetop
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Soak the rice 30 minutes, then drain it in a sieve for a full 10 minutes. Wet rice will clump and this dish lives on separate grains.
- Steep the saffron in 2 tbsp of warm - not boiling - water for 15 minutes so it gives up all its colour.
- Have the sugar weighed out. It goes in after the rice is nearly cooked, and by then there is no time to measure.
Method
- Heat 4 tbsp of the ghee in a heavy pot. Fry the almonds until pale gold, about 90 seconds, then the raisins until they puff, 20 seconds. Lift both out and set aside.Raisins burn in seconds and turn bitter. Watch them, do not walk away.
- Into the same ghee add the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon and let them sizzle for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the drained rice and fry gently for 3 minutes, turning with a flat spoon, until every grain is glossy and a few have turned opaque white.Turn, do not stir. Broken grains go mushy later.
- Pour in 550ml water with the pinch of salt and half the saffron liquid. Bring to a hard boil.
- Drop the heat to low, cover and cook 10 minutes until the water is absorbed and the rice is about three-quarters done - still firm at the core.This stage is the one that decides the dish. Add sugar to fully cooked rice and it goes sticky; add it too early and the rice never softens.
- Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the surface, add the apricots, and do not stir. Cover and cook on the lowest heat 8 minutes - the sugar will melt and be drawn down through the rice.
- Uncover, drizzle over the last tablespoon of ghee and the remaining saffron water, and fold through once with a fork.
- Fold in the fried almonds, raisins and the coconut slivers. Cover and rest off the heat 10 minutes.
- Fluff once more with a fork and serve warm, in small portions - it is richer than it looks.
Storage
Keeps 3 days refrigerated, where it will firm up. Reheat covered with 1 tbsp of water and a little ghee on low, or steam 5 minutes; it is also good cold.
Nutrition Low estimate
One serving of Mittha (216 g) is about 530 calories, or 245 calories per 100 g.
Low protein: 5 g a serving, 4% of the calories
| Per serving216 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 530 kcal | 245 kcal |
| Protein | 5.2 g | 2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 93.4 g | 43 g |
| of which sugars | 50.2 g | 23 g |
| Fibre | 2.6 g | 1 g |
| Fat | 16.2 g | 8 g |
| of which saturated | 9.7 g | 4 g |
| of which unsaturated | 5.6 g | 3 g |
Ingredients given to taste count as zero, so the real figures run a little higher. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Vegetarian Indian recipes · Gluten-free Indian recipes · No onion no garlic recipes · Pahari recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.