Payesh with date palm jaggery

Bong Eats’ nolen gurer payesh is a Bengali rice pudding sweetened with date-palm jaggery. The authors associate its mellow sweetness and creamy texture with the winter season.

The selected recipe uses new Gobindobhog rice and full-fat milk. The rice is soaked in water, strained and spread to dry, then coated with a small portion of the ghee.

Raisins are soaked separately in water. Cashews are fried in another portion of the same ghee until golden and set aside.

The milk is brought to a boil and reduced with regular stirring. The ghee-coated rice is then added and cooked on low heat with gentle stirring until a grain mashes without resistance.

Once the rice is fully cooked and the pudding slightly thicker than the desired finish, the heat is turned off. Date-palm jaggery, salt, the soaked raisins and fried cashews are folded in, and the covered pan lets the jaggery melt in residual heat. The recipe offers the finished payesh hot or cool.