- Tajnuma, 2nd Floor, Jobaaj Complex, Fatehabad Rd
- For Booking: +91 90688 89658
Visit Us
- Tajnuma, 2nd Floor, Jobaaj Complex, Fatehabad Rd, opposite Howard Plaza, Bansal Nagar, Tajganj, Agra, Uttar Pradesh 282001
- Timings - 12:00 pm – 12:00 am
Zafrani Zarda Pulao: Saffron Sweet Rice
Zarda is rice cooked sweet and coloured gold with saffron. It is one of the few dishes on our menu that can be
traced straight back to the written record of the Mughal court that once ruled from Agra.
Yellow Rice
The name comes from the Persian zard, meaning yellow — the colour saffron gives the rice. Zarda is cooked with sugar and ghee and studded with dried fruit and nuts, and across north India and Pakistan it is still a dish for weddings and celebrations.
In Akbar’s Kitchen
The Ain-i-Akbari, the record of Akbar’s administration written by his minister Abu’l-Fazl, lists the dishes of the imperial kitchen with their ingredients. Among them is zard birinj — yellow rice — made with rice, sugar, ghee, raisins, almonds, pistachios and saffron. It is recognisably the same dish, recorded more than four hundred years ago in the court based at Agra.
We have written more about saffron in Mughal cooking and about pulao and biryani.
How Tajnuma Serves It
Our menu describes it as a fragrant saffron-infused sweet rice delicacy, tossed with nuts and raisins. It sits with the rice dishes rather than the desserts, and is often ordered as a sweet end to a meal or shared at the table.
You Might Also Like
Shahi Tukda: The Royal Bread Pudding · Mawa Sheermal with Malai Kulfi · Kathal Nihari: A Vegetarian Nihari
From the journal: Saffron in Mughal cooking
Price
₹525 plus government taxes
On the Menu
Rice, Raita & Accompaniments
100% Vegetarian
No meat, fish or egg is cooked anywhere in our kitchen.
Open Daily
12:00 pm to 12:00 am, seven days a week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is zarda pulao sweet?
Yes. Zarda is a sweet rice, flavoured with saffron and finished with nuts and raisins. It is usually eaten as a dessert or a festive side.
Did the Mughals eat zarda?
Yes. The Ain-i-Akbari, written at Akbar's court, lists zard birinj (yellow rice) with sugar, ghee, raisins, almonds, pistachios and saffron among the dishes of the imperial kitchen.
Is it vegetarian?
Yes. Like every dish at Tajnuma it is pure vegetarian. It contains nuts, so please tell your server about any nut allergy.
Visit Tajnuma
2nd Floor, Jobaaj Complex, Fatehabad Road, opposite Howard Plaza, Bansal Nagar, Tajganj,
Agra, Uttar Pradesh 282001
Open every day, 12:00 pm – 12:00 am
Reservations: +91 90688 89658