Modur Pulao — Kashmiri Sweet Rice (مودر پلاو)

Kashmir Valley — Wazwan feast tradition; associated with Kashmiri Pandit and Kashmiri Muslim festive occasions

Modur pulao is Kashmiri festive sweet rice — basmati cooked in saffron-milk, flavoured with whole spices, and sweetened with sugar, then finished with fried dry fruits (cashews, raisins, almonds) in ghee. Unlike biryani, which is savoury, or kheer, which is a pudding, modur pulao occupies a middle space: it is a sweet rice dish served as part of the Wazwan feast, where the sweet counterpoints the heavily spiced meat dishes. The rice must be long, separate, and perfectly cooked — clumped sweet rice is the sign of a failed modur pulao.

Part of the Wazwan feast sequence — placed alongside the savoury meat dishes as the sweet punctuation.