Gujarati Meetho Bhat – Flavorful and a very easy rice dish that is made with basmati rice, jaggery, Cinnamon, dry fruits, and ghee.
Me and my mom love meetho bhat
Gujarati Meetho bhat or jaggery rice or sweet rice is a classic Gujarati recipe made during festivals as a part of “prasadam”. Prasadam is food that we offer to our god.
However, In my house, Meetho bhat is not restricted to just festivals 🙂 My mom used to make this “meetho bhat” every Saturday with urad dal and rotla for us and I loved that. If you are connected on Instagram with us then you might be aware that I have recently started a series where I will be sharing “recipes I grew up eating” once a week 🙂 I have already shared lemon pickle recipe video.
Ingredients
Below are the ingredients required for meetho bhat.
Basmati rice – I am using basmati rice here but you can use sona masoori or surti kolam rice.
Jaggery – Jaggery is the main ingredient of the recipe. Jaggery is the reason behind the light brown hue of the rice. You can use brown sugar or coconut sugar but traditionally this recipe is made with jaggery.
Dryfruits – a few almonds, cashews, and raisins are a perfect combination. I am using almonds only as my daughter loves almonds.
Ghee – clarified butter.
Cinnamon and black cardamom – These two give a lovely flavor to rice. Cinnamon is a MUST however black cardamom is optional.
Instructions
Soaking rice – My mom said, soaking rice is important for this recipe. Soak rice at least for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, chop your nuts.
Preparing rice – Heat ghee in the pan. Add cinnamon, black cardamom, and chopped nuts.
Saute for a while. Nuts will get a light brown color and will start releasing a nutty fragrance.
Add soaked rice along with water. Also, add jaggery and mix everything well.
Turn the flame on to a medium setting and cook rice until soft and tender. Check if all the water is absorbed.
Rice is ready. Serve hot.
Some other gujarati recipes you need to try
- Methi Thepla – gujarati spiced bread recipe.
- Khandvi– classic gujarati snack recipe made with gram flour.
- Puran Poli – gujrati bread recipe that is sweet and made with lentil stuffing.
Gujarati Meetho bhat
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 3 cups water 1 cup water to soak rice + 2 cups to cook rice
- 1 tablespoon ghee / clarified butter
- ¼ cup nuts chopped (almonds)
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 black cardamom optional
- ¼ cup jaggery
Instructions
- Soaking rice – My mom said, soaking rice is important for this recipe. Soak rice at least for 30 minutes.1 cup basmati rice, 3 cups water
- Preparing rice – Heat ghee in the pan. Add cinnamon, black cardamom, and chopped nuts.1 tablespoon ghee / clarified butter, 1 inch cinnamon stick, 1 black cardamom, ¼ cup nuts
- Saute for a while. Nuts will get a light brown color and will start releasing a nutty fragrance.
- Add soaked rice along with water. Also, add jaggery and mix everything well.¼ cup jaggery
- Turn the flame on to a medium setting and cook rice until soft and tender. Check if all the water is absorbed.
- Rice is ready. Serve hot.
Disclaimer
Yes, you can use either brown sugar, coconut sugar, or white sugar instead of jaggery. “Meetha” means sweet so YES, you can use it. However, traditionally this recipe is made with jaggery in Gujarati households.
After cooking the rice completely, make sure the rice is at room temperature. Store it in an airtight container. Refrigerate it. It will be good for a week. You can also freeze this recipe. Store it in a freezer-friendly ziplock bag or a container and it will be good for 3 months.
Superb traditional recipe
Love it👌👌👌😋
Thank you ma 🙂
Love cozy rice desserts! With the warming spices and lightly sweet just a perfect ending to the day. Love your easy to follow step by steps.
Thank you 🙂