The traditional Bengali Chaler Payesh

Chaler Payesh is a traditional Bengali sweet dish that can be traced to a couple of millenniums. Chal in Bengali means rice and Payesh is derived from the Sanskrit word which means milk. Such similar dishes with milk and rice can be found all over the Indian subcontinent and is more popularly called Kheer in North India. Legend has it that the English rice pudding can be traced back to kheer or rather Chaler Payesh. Here is my recipe for a more traditional Bengali Chaler Payesh.  

Ingredients

 
Basmati Rice : 250 grams

Full cream milk : 2 litres

Raisins : dried golden : 250 grams

Cinnamon stick : 3 inch: 1

Green Cardamom : 7

Powdered Sugar : 350 grams

Nestle Condensed milk (with added sugar) : 800 grams


Procedure

 
1)    Wash the Basmati rice nicely and place it in a deep bottomed casserole
2)    Pour the milk on top of it, add the raisins, cinnamon sticks and green cardamoms and give it a stir

3)    Initially you can cook in high heat but once the bubble starts to appear reduce the heat to medium
4)    When the rice is half done (after about 25 minutes) add the sugar and stir nicely
5)    When the rice is soft and completely done, add the Nestle Condensed milk and stir nicely
6)    Reduce the heat to minimum and keep on stirring in circular motion (in one direction) to give body to the payesh. 

7)    Remove it from the heat and cool it. 

8)    It is served best when it has been refrigerated for about an hour (but let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving). 

  

Printable Recipe

The traditional Bengali Chaler Payesh
Author: Mitanti Ghosh
Preparation Time: 5 min
Cooking time: 40 min
Servings: 5

Calories per serving: 250 kcal

Chaler Payesh is a traditional Bengali sweet dish that can be traced to a couple of millenniums. Chal in Bengali means rice and Payesh is derived from the Sanskrit word which means milk.

Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice : 40 grams
• Full cream milk : 320 ml
• Raisins (dried golden) : 40 grams
• Cinnamon stick (3 inch): 1
• Green Cardamom : 1
• Powdered Sugar : 60 grams
• Nestle Condensed milk (with added sugar) : 120 grams

Instructions:

1. Wash the Basmati rice nicely and place it in a deep bottomed casserole
2. Pour the milk on top of it, add the raisins, cinnamon sticks and green cardamoms and give it a stir
3. Initially you can cook in high heat but once the bubble starts to appear reduce the heat to medium
4. When the rice is half done (after about 25 minutes) add the sugar and stir nicely
5. When the rice is soft and completely done, add the Nestle Condensed milk and stir nicely
6. Reduce the heat to minimum and keep on stirring in circular motion (in one direction) to give body to the payesh.
7. Remove it from the heat and cool it.
8. It is served best when it has been refrigerated for about an hour (but let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving).