Name: Mutanjan (Rainbow sweet rice with candied fruits and saffron)
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Serves 5–6 people
Cuisine: Pakistani
Ingredients: 1 tub clotted cream, to serve; ½ tsp each of red and green natural food colour; ½ tsp saffron threads soaked in 2 tbsp boiling water; 10 glacé (candied) cherries; 4 tbsp desiccated (dry unsweetened) coconut; 3 tbsp candied peel; 4 tbsp golden raisins; 4 tbsp unsalted shelled pistachios; 4 tbsp blanched almonds; 150 g/5½ oz/¾ cup golden caster (superfine) sugar; 6 green cardamom pods, seeds removed; 50 g/2 oz/4 tbsp butter or 3 tbsp ghee; 2 lemon slices; 750 ml/1½ pints/3 cups water; 250 g/9 oz/1¼ cups basmati rice (excellent quality)

Preparation info

Serves
5–6
people

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
1 hr

Appears in

Summers Under the Tamarind Tree

By Sumayya Usmani

Published 2016

About

This colourful sweet rice dish is traditionally served on festive days, either as a dessert, snack or before meals as a starter. Saffron yeilds the yellow, and you can use other natural food colours for the rainbow effect. It’s served with khoya (milk solids), but clotted cream is a lovely alternative.

Ingredients

250 g/9 oz/1¼ cups basmati rice (excellent quality)
750

Asia
Pakistan
Dessert
Starter
Snack
Vegetarian
Gluten-free
Summer

Method

Wash the rice, rinse and soak in a bowl of water for 25–30 minutes. Drain.

To par-boil the rice, pour 600ml/1 pint/2½ cups water into a large saucepan and bring to the boil, then add the lemon slices. Add the drained rice and par-boil for 3–4 minutes. Drain, discard the lemons and put the rice into a clean heavy-based saucepan. Set aside.

Heat another saucepan, add the butter or

‌

Ingredients

Method

Part of