Sweet Jaggery Rice

Jaggery is raw sugar obtained from cooking sugar cane juice. It has a very distinctive sweet flavour and aroma to it. This sweet rice comes from the land of Punjab where sugar is grown in abundance and is the major source for producing sugar. Here is how the recipe goes:

Ingredients

Basmati Rice                 1 cup
Jaggery                         1 cup
Salt                               1 pinch
Butter                           3 tbsp
Water                           1/4 cup
Cardamom                    4
Almonds                       12
Aniseed                         1/4 tsp
Raisins                          12 Optional
Milk                              1/4 cup

Method

1. Wash the rice till water runs clear. Soak for at least 1 hour.
2. Pour hot water over the almonds. Leave for 30 minutes and then take the peel off. Slit from the middle.
3. Put 1/4 cup of water in a pot and add jaggery and aniseeds to it. Stir it often to prevent burning. Add 1/4 cup of milk and cook till its syrupy. If any foam forms on top, using a spoon , discard it.
4. Put 4 cups of water in a pot. Add salt and bring it to boil.
5. Add the rice and cook till 3/4 way done. Drain and keep aside.
6. Melt butter in the same pot and add cracked green cardamoms. Heat for 20 seconds. 
7. Pour the syrup over. Add the rice and gently coat them in syrup.
8. Put the almonds and dry all the extra moisture by increasing the flame.
9. Once there is no moisture, add raisins if using.
10. Lower the heat to slowest and cover with a tight fitting lid. Let the rice steam for 15 minutes.
11. Fluff them with a folk and serve with cream or yogurt.

Note:
Sometimes jaggery has impurities in it so pour the syrup from top leaving the impurities at the bottom.
Use the finest quality basmati rice for best results.
Double or triple the recipe for more servings.
Jaggery normally comes in lumps so you can use a measuring scale to weigh the rice and jaggery or grate jaggery before measuring with a cup.