PAYESH (RICE KHEER / PUDDING)

PAYESH / RICE KHEER is considered auspicious among us. It is prepared on special occasions, be it birthday, baby shower, puja or other auspicious ceremonies. You can have it any day, whenever you wish to. You can cook it in 1&1/2 to 2 hours. They say on birthdays, one must have a bowl of Payesh, it ensures a longer life. A wife or a mother prepares it praying for longevity.

Originally or authentically Bengalis make payesh with rice grain. Gradually with time and developing the power of acceptance, we prepare it with other ingredients like vermicelli, sago, broken wheat, carrot, even bottle gourd. Hopefully, I can come up with each one of them in future.

With festive season around, let me share this recipe of Rice Kheer / Rice & Milk Pudding! I hope it gets sweeter with the  of your hands.

During winter, with availability of date palm jaggery, we use it instead of sugar. I can guarantee you would be in seventh heaven as far as taste is concerned.

INGREDIENTS :

Fragrant Rice ( Gobindo Bhog / Chini Gura / Kali Jeera / Basmati ) : 3 tablespoon
Full Cream Milk : 1 litre
Sugar : 1/2 small teacup + 2 tablespoon (measurement should be as per your taste)
Green Cardamon : 2-3
Bay leaf : 1
Cashew Nut : 8 halved
Raisins : 8.
Ghee : 1/4 teaspoon.

PROCEDURE :

Place rice in a bowl, wash thoroughly, drain water. Pour in ghee onto rice bowl, mix well. This helps rice not to stick with each other. Wash raisins, soak in warm water. Cashews to be halved.

Pour milk in heavy bottomed pan. Switch on gas stove. Put gas mark at low. This dish is to test your patience. Once milk comes to boil, clean, add bay leaf. This enhances flavour. Now you have to stir milk constantly, else it may burn at bottom

Keep stirring milk till it gets a bit creamier. At this stage, add rice. Give a stir every 3 minutes until rice is boiled.

Do not over boil rice. You have to take care of that. Once the rice is almost boiled, add sugar. Keep on stirring.

Crush green cardamoms. Add to kheer / podding once it gets creamier [I do not make it much of creamier]. Add raisins and cashews. 

After 2-3 minutes, switch off gas stove. It's done. Pour onto a serving bowl.

Please note , always add rice first to boiling milk. Add sugar only when rice is cooked. Else rice won't get cooked!