Payesh (Bengali Rice Pudding)
Local name: পায়েস
In short: Creamy Bengali rice pudding of fragrant short-grain rice slowly cooked in milk with bay leaf, cardamom, raisins and cashews. It takes about 1 h 15 min in total and makes 6 servings.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 1 h 5 min
- Resting
- 15 min
- Total
- 1 h 15 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 320 kcal
Rice pudding turns up at nearly every Bengali celebration, and payesh is its fragrant local form. Small, aromatic short-grain rice simmers slowly in milk with bay leaf and cardamom until the grains turn soft and the milk thickens into a creamy pudding, finished with raisins and cashews. It is served at birthdays, Eid and family gatherings, warm in winter and chilled in summer.
Instructions
- Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, drain it and let it dry on a plate for 10 minutes. Heat the ghee in a heavy pot over low heat, fry the cashews for 1 minute until pale gold and the raisins for 15 seconds until puffed, then lift both out.
- Pour the milk into the same pot with the bay leaf, cardamom and salt and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring so it does not catch. Stir in the rice, then lower the heat.
- Simmer gently for 45 to 50 minutes, stirring every few minutes and scraping the bottom, until the rice is very soft and the milk has thickened to about two thirds of its original volume.
- Stir in the sugar until it dissolves and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove the bay leaf and cardamom pods, then fold in the cashews and raisins.
- Let the payesh cool for 15 minutes, as it thickens further. Serve warm or chilled, thinning with a splash of milk if it has become too thick.
Tips
- If you cannot find gobindobhog rice, use short-grain pudding rice, or crush a little basmati rice in a mortar so it releases starch into the milk.
- If you swap in date palm jaggery, take the pot off the heat for 5 minutes and stir the jaggery in gradually. Hot milk can curdle when it meets jaggery.
Questions and answers
What is the difference between payesh and kheer?
They are close relatives, both rice puddings simmered in milk. Payesh is typically made with fragrant gobindobhog rice and bay leaf, and is often sweetened with date palm jaggery in winter.
Why add a bay leaf to a pudding?
The Indian bay leaf, called tej patta, adds a warm aroma closer to cinnamon than to the European bay laurel. It is removed before serving.
Can I make payesh without dairy?
Yes, though the flavor changes. Replace the milk with a mix of full-fat coconut milk and water and use coconut oil instead of ghee. Expect a slightly shorter cooking time.
How long does it take to make Payesh (Bengali Rice Pudding)?
About 1 h 15 min in total: 10 min of preparation and 1 h 5 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Payesh (Bengali Rice Pudding)?
About 320 kcal per serving, with 10 g of protein, 42 g of carbohydrates and 13 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 320 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 10 g |
| Carbohydrates | 42 g |
| Fat | 13 g |
| Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 31 g |
| Sodium | 120 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
