Payeshপায়েস
Video: Banglar Rannaghor (YouTube)
Payesh is Bengal’s most beloved festive sweet — a slow-simmered rice pudding sweetened with nolen gur, the smoky date-palm jaggery that turns the milk a pale amber and fills the kitchen with an incomparable caramel warmth. It is the first food a Bengali child receives on their birthday, the centerpiece of annadprashon rice ceremonies, and the quiet end to every Durga Puja feast. This version follows the gurer payesh method: milk reduced until creamy, gobindobhog rice cooked until it dissolves into it, jaggery stirred in off the heat so the raw molasses edge stays bright.
📍 Make it in Plano
This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.
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Ingredients
- ▪Full-fat whole milk1 litre
- ▪Gobindobhog rice (or basmati as substitute)3 tbsp
- ▪Nolen gur — date palm jaggery, coarsely grated75 g (or to taste)
- ▪Green cardamom (elach)3 pods, lightly crushed
- ▪Bay leaf (tej pata)1
- ▪Saffron (kesar)a small pinch, optional
- ▪Cashews (kaju)1 tbsp, lightly fried in ghee (optional garnish)
- ▪Raisins (kismis)1 tbsp (optional garnish)
- Nolen gur is hard to find outside West Bengal but is stocked at Bengali grocery stores in Jackson Heights (New York), Southall and Green Street (London), and Brampton (Toronto). Light brown muscovado sugar or palm sugar (from Southeast Asian stores) gives a similar deep, caramel-molasses note if nolen gur is unavailable.
- Gobindobhog is a short-grain, fragrant Bengali rice variety — look for it at Bangladeshi and Bengali grocery stores, or order online from Indian specialty retailers. Basmati rice is the most common substitute; avoid parboiled or converted rice.
- For a richer payesh, replace 200 ml of the regular milk with evaporated milk — it gives extra creaminess without the long reduction time.
Method
- 1Wash the rice in cold water until the water runs clear. Soak in fresh water for 20 minutes, then drain completely.
- 2Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed pot (steel or enamel works best). Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring regularly to stop a skin from forming and prevent scorching on the base.
- 3Add the cardamom pods and bay leaf. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the milk, stirring every 2 minutes, for 20–25 minutes until it reduces by about one-third and coats the back of a spoon.
- 4Add the drained rice to the reduced milk. Cook on low heat, stirring gently and frequently, for 25–30 minutes until the rice grains are fully soft and the milk has thickened to a creamy, flowing consistency. It should still move freely — it thickens more as it cools.
- 5Remove from heat. Discard the bay leaf. Add saffron if using.
- 6Stir in the nolen gur until completely dissolved. Taste and adjust sweetness. Never add jaggery while still on heat as it can break the milk.
- 7Stir in the fried cashews and raisins if using. Ladle into serving bowls. Serve warm, at room temperature, or well chilled — all are traditional.
A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.