chirer payesh

Uma Pandit’s Bengali chirer payesh, published by Archana’s Kitchen, uses flattened rice in a milk pudding sweetened with nolen gur. She describes it as a festive preparation from Bengal; this selection uses the date-palm jaggery option.

The poha is washed in water, strained and soaked in a portion of the milk. Separate portions of the same milk are mixed with rice flour and used to soak saffron.

The remaining milk is boiled with whole cardamom pods. The rice-flour mixture is stirred in and cooked until the flour is cooked and the milk has condensed.

The milk-soaked flattened rice is added, followed by the saffron and its soaking milk. Once the rice is well cooked and the pudding thickens, date-palm jaggery is added and stirred until dissolved.

Chopped almonds and a pinch of salt are added for a final short cook, then the pan is removed from the heat. The pudding is transferred to a serving bowl and garnished with saffron, almonds and sultana raisins. The recipe offers it hot or chilled.