Jaggery Rice

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This Jaggery rice is a traditional Punjabi sweet rice dish made with jaggery (Indian unrefined cane sugar), rice and spices. There are some variations of jaggery rice in Indian cuisine and this recipe comes from Punjabi cuisine. A vegan and gluten-free rice dish that can be made for any festive occasion.

jaggery rice served in a blue plate with text layover.

This jaggery rice is a favorite of everyone at home. The recipe is easy and quick to make and taste too good. This recipe is especially loved by kids or people who have a sweet tooth.

This recipe Is my mom-in-law’s specialty. She learned this recipe from her mother-in-law. My mom-in-law’s mother-in-law belonged to the families who migrated from Pakistan, during the partition. This explains the original source of this recipe.

Whilst googling, I found out that this jaggery rice is a Pakistani Punjabi recipe. My in-laws are Punjabis who migrated from Pakistan and perhaps this is where they learnt how to make gur wale chawal.  I am glad, I know about this recipe now and am writing about it in my blog. Otherwise, it would have been a loss to me as well as to all those who are reading this blog.

I think, had I not learnt this recipe, it may had been lost and perhaps may be never tried or revived. I think that there are absolutely wonderful recipes, that have been lost or are in the process of becoming obsolete.

At home, we call this recipe as “gur wale chawal”. In English, the simple translation would mean jaggery rice, where jaggery is known as Gud, gur and rice is called as Chawal.

This orangish amber colored rice recipe is a sweet and delectable one. Generally, you just have it plain. But it also tastes nice, when you take a little milk, mix it with the warm jaggery rice and eat it.

Step-by-Step Guide

How to make Jaggery Rice

1. In a bowl or vessel, take 120 grams of jaggery (grated or powdered or whole jaggery). Then soak it in ¾ cup water for 30 to 45 minutes. If there are impurities, then filter the jaggery syrup using a fine mesh strainer and keep aside.

jaggery soaked in water

 2. I have used organic jaggery powder. Alternatively, whole jaggery can also be crumbled or chopped, but its a little tedious and slightly takes more time.

In this technique of keeping the jaggery in water, the jaggery dissolves in water. It is easy, non-messy and simple. You could use this technique if you are making any other jaggery recipe that involves the use of water.

This is a super helpful tip that my mom-in-law shared with me. Otherwise, you would always spend a lot of time chopping or crumbling jaggery with the knife. 

jaggery soaked in water in a bowl

3. Pick, clean and wash ¾ cup rice a couple of times in water. You can use basmati rice or any variety of long grained rice.

rice soaked in water in a bowl

4. Soak the rice for 15 to 20 minutes in water. Later drain all the water and set the rice aside.

water drained from soaked rice

5. Meanwhile roast 1 tablespoon peanuts on a pan till they are crunchy and you see some black spots on the skins. But if you already have roasted peanuts then skip this step.

The addition of peanuts is optional and they can be skipped.

roasting peanuts

6. Measure and keep all the remaining ingredients ready.

ingredients for jaggery rice in bowls

Making jaggery rice

7. In a stovetop pressure cooker add the soaked rice and ¾ cup water. Pressure cook for 2 to 3 minutes on medium to medium-high heat.

rice added to stovetop pressure cooker

5. When the pressure settles down on its own in the cooker, then only open the cooker lid. The rice should be half cooked.

rice cooked for 2 to 3 minutes in pressure cooker

7. Fluff the rice in the cooker itself. I have used a fork to fluff the rice but you can use a spoon as well.

gently fluffing rice

8. Add the jaggery water that was made earlier. Also add 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of any neutral flavored oil. You can also use ghee instead of oil.

jaggery water added to rice

9. Stir and mix gently the jaggery water and oil with the half-cooked rice.

jaggery water mixing with rice

10. Now add 4 green cardamoms, 4 cloves and 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf).

cardamom cloves and tej patta added to rice

11. Next add 15 to 20 raisins (kishmish) and 1 tablespoons of the roasted peanuts. You can add your choice of dry fruits and nuts.

raisins and peanuts added

12. Stir and mix these ingredients gently with the rice mixture.

mixing raisins with jaggery rice

13. Now close the cooker with the lid and pressure cook again for 2 to 3 minutes on medium heat.

pressure cooking jaggery rice

14. When the pressure falls down on its own then only open the lid. You will get to smell the fragrant aroma of jaggery rice 🙂 in fact when pressure cooking, your whole kitchen will have the typical sweet aroma of jaggery.

cooked jaggery rice

15. Garnish the cooked rice with dry fruits of your choice. It tastes nice even without garnishing.

garnishing jaggery rice with dry fruits

16. Serve jaggery rice hot or warm as it is or with some milk.

jaggery rice served in a plate

Tips for jaggery rice

  • My mom-in-law’s decision of adding peanuts to the recipe was a novel idea. She actually never adds peanuts to it. The peanuts added a beautiful crunchy taste along with the sweetness of the rice.
  • You could also add your choice of dry fruits and nuts to the rice and then lightly garnish it with the remaining dry fruits.
  • Jaggery burns quickly, so cook the rice at medium heat.
  • I always use rice and water in the proportion of 1:2. If you want a slightly mushy rice texture, you could increase the water proportion. For ¾ cup of rice, we used 1.5 cups of water. Instead of 1.5 cups water, you could add 2 cups of water.
  • Use a good quality jaggery as it is the hero ingredient in the recipe.
  • This dish taste best with aged basmati rice. But you can also make it with long grained rice or any non-sticky medium grained rice.


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jaggery rice recipe

Jaggery Rice

This Jaggery rice is a traditional Punjabi sweet rice dish made with jaggery (Indian unrefined cane sugar), rice and spices.
5 from 11 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Cuisine Pakistani
Course Main Course
Diet Gluten Free, Vegan
Difficulty Level Moderate
Servings 2
Units

Ingredients

Main ingredients

  • ¾ cup rice preferably basmati rice
  • 1 to 1.5 tablespoon oil
  • ¾  cups water
  • 4 green cardamoms
  • 4 cloves
  • 15 to 20 raisins
  • 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf) – optional
  • 1 tablespoon roasted peanuts – optional

For soaking jaggery

  • 120 grams jaggery
  • ¾ cup water

Instructions
 

  • First, take the jaggery and soak it in ¾ cup water for 30 to 45 minutes.
  • Pick, clean and wash the rice. Soak the rice for 15 to 20 minutes.
  • In a stovetop pressure cooker add the rice and ¾ cup water.
  • Pressure cook for 2 to 3 minutes on medium to medium high heat. The rice should be half cooked. Once the pressure settles down on its own, then only open the cooker lid.
  • Fluff the rice in the cooker itself with a fork.
  • Add the jaggery dissolved in water plus the oil. Stir it gently with the half cooked rice.
  • Now add the cardamom, cloves, bay leaf, raisins and peanuts.
  • Stir this too gently with the rice mixture.
  • Now close the cooker with the lid and pressure cook again for 2 to 3 minutes on medium heat.
  • When the pressure falls down on its own in the pressure cooker then only open the lid.
  • Garnish the cooked jaggery rice with dry fruits and nuts of your choice.
  • Serve jaggery rice hot or warm, as it is or with some milk.

Notes

  • The recipe can be scaled to make a big batch of the jaggery rice.
  • Use a good quality and fresh jaggery which is in its shelf life. Don’t use jaggery which has become rancid or has moulds or insects.
  • Preferably use aged basmati rice.
  • You can add your choice of nuts and dry fruits. The addition of peanuts is optional and can be skipped.

Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)

Nutrition Facts
Jaggery Rice
Amount Per Serving
Calories 606 Calories from Fat 99
% Daily Value*
Fat 11g17%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 36mg2%
Potassium 204mg6%
Carbohydrates 116g39%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 56g62%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin C 0.4mg0%
Calcium 44mg4%
Iron 1.6mg9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This Jaggery Rice post from the archives (July 2010) has been republished and updated on 22 September 2021.

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Meet Dassana

Welcome to Dassana's Veg Recipes. I share vegetarian recipes from India & around the World. Having been cooking for decades and with a professional background in cooking & baking, I help you to make your cooking journey easier with my tried and tested recipes showcased with step by step photos & plenty of tips & suggestions.

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24 Comments

  1. Jaggery rice-This recipe also has originated from Kutch district, gujarat called as “matha bhaat”, usually made on Kutch New year that is ashadhi beej

  2. Loved the recipe. It’s actually a Sindhi Dish called TAARI from the Sindh Province in what is now Pakistan. I had written the recipe down from my mum but misplaced it And your recipe gave me the proportion of ingredients. Only thing I added was saffron water which mum had used to give fragrance to the rice. We Sindhis usually eat our TAARI with Saibaji or Methi Fish.
    Thanks again5 stars

    1. thanks bhavna for sharing this info. saffron can be added. i was not aware that taari is eaten with sai bhaji. i have had sai bhaji but with phulkas and i must say it is awesome.

  3. Can i use sigarcane juice to cook rice instead of jaggery?
    If yes, plz tell me quantity.
    I just asked u coz my nani used to make this on the occasion of chhath puja as prasad & it tastes really yum..
    But she is no more now.
    I have the juice but little confused about the ratio of rice and juice
    Plzz help me mam.
    WAITING…..5 stars

    1. shona, use the same ratio of 1:2 for rice and sugar cane juice. you can soak rice for 20 minutes before cooking.