Payesh: A classic rice and milk pudding
Usually made for celebrations in Bengal, India
| PREP TIME | 10 m |
|---|---|
| COOK TIME | 40m |
| SERVES | 4 |
50 gms or 1/4 cup rice (typically, a special type of short-grained, aromatic rice called Gobindobhog is used to make Khichuri and other rice based dishes that are cooked during any auspicious occasion in Bengal. If Gobindobhog is unavailable online, Kalijira from Bangladesh or Jeera Samba rice from Kerala can be substituted)
750 ml full cream milk, kept in room temperature (I use cow’s milk)
1 bay leaf
5 green whole cardamoms
200 gms or 1 cup sugar
100 gms cashews, broken longitudinally into halves
100 gms raisins, golden or black
1 tbsp ghee
Wash the rice grains in running water. Drain the water and keep aside for 10 minutes.
In a deep-bottomed pan, add ghee once the vessel heats up. Add bay leaf and green cardamoms. Gently pour in the milk. Keep stirring continuously on a high flame so the milk doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan or burn. Continue this until the milk is reduced in half.
Add the rice grains and let them cook nicely in the thickened milk. Keep stirring constantly along with aerating it with the ladle.
Once the rice is cooked, add sugar and continue cooking for a further ten minutes.
Heat ghee in a small tadka or a tempering wok. Fry cashews until they turn light brown. Turn off the flame and add the raisins. Pour this as a garnish on top of the thickened Payesh.
Serve hot or cold as per individual preference.