Nolen gurer payesh (Bengali Rice Pudding with Date Palm Jaggery) is the most ancient and popular dessert in Bengali homes for any occasion.
If there is any dish that is as ancient as the human civilization itself, it is the paramanna or payesh or payasam or kheer as we commonly know it. Rice and milk boiled together and sweetened with sugar cane was the food that has been the traditional offering to the gods for thousands of years. The first food that child eats in Indian culture and their birthday celebrations remain incomplete without this.
In Bengal, instead of sugarcane, date palm jaggery is used to make this auspicious dessert.
Serves: 4 portions
INGREDIENTS
· Rice 60gms
· Raisins 15gms
· Cashew 15gms
· Nolen gur 100gms
· Milk 700gms
· Sugar 15gms
· Ghee 20gms
METHOD
Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes. Do not over wash the rice as we don’t want to lose too much starch. After 30 minutes, strain the rice and spread it to dry. Coat the soaked rice in ¼ tsp of ghee and set aside.
Soak the raisins in some water to allow them to swell. Heat ghee in a pan and fry the cashews on medium heat until they are golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Transfer the milk to a heavy pan or kadai. On medium heat, wait for it to come to a boil. After that, reduce the milk for about 15 minutes. Stir regularly so that the milk does not catch the bottom or sides of the pan.
Add the ghee-coated rice to the milk and keep cooking on low heat until the rice is fully cooked. This will require patience, as at several points it will appear as if the rice has cooked. However, you need to keep boiling it until you reach a stage where a grain mashed between your fingers faces no resistance at all. It should be mushy soft, as rice will harden when payesh is cooled. Stir gently throughout this process. Not only will that ensure that the payesh doesn’t burn, stirring will also release the starch from the rice, which will help thicken the payesh.
Now is it is time to add the gur. But you need to be sure of two things before that. (a) The rice should be fully cooked because after adding the gur, the rice will not cook any further. (b) The payesh should be slightly thicker than how you actually want it as gur will loosen it up slightly. Right. Now turn off the heat and add the gur, along with salt, soaked raisins, and fried cashew. Keep heat turned off as any impurities in the gur will cause the milk to split. Fold everything in and cover the pan. Allow the residual heat to melt the gur fully. Serve hot or cool.
If you make my Nolen Gurer Payesh, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram as @chef_anuraag and use the #tadkadilse hashtag or upload it to my shared gallery on the blog. I love seeing your takes on my recipes!
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