Notun Gurer Payesh – a traditional Bengali rice pudding flavoured with date palm jaggery. Bengal’s favourite jaggery is a winter speciality.
This Bengali dessert is typically made during festive or auspicious occasions. A simple dessert that tastes just heavenly.
In this traditional payesh recipe, Notun/Nolen/Kejur Gur is used as the sweetener. Since this date palm jaggery is usually available in wintertime, it is called as Notun (New) Gur (Jaggery).
Kheer or Payesh is a rice pudding prepared with milk, rice/vermicelli/broken wheat and sugar/jaggery and flavoured with cardamom, cashew nuts, raisins, pistachios, almonds or saffron. It is an indispensable dish in most Hindu feasts/festivals and celebrations.
Kheer is usually made for special occasions. The term Kheer comes from the Sanskrit words Ksheeram, meaning milk. Similarly, Payesh (Bengali) or Payasam (Telugu) originate from the Sanskrit word Payasa/Payasam meaning milk. Some also add a little bit of heavy cream for a richer taste. It is often garnished using almonds, cashews, raisins and pistachios.
Notun Gurer Payesh Recipe:
Date palm jaggery flavoured rice pudding is a simple blend of aromatic rice, milk and jaggery. Winter is the time for Notun/Kejur Gur (date jaggery) in West Bengal and many dishes are made using date palm jaggery as the main ingredient. Notun Gur is the season fresh jaggery.
Typically, the rice used is Gobindo Bhog Chaal – a short-grained sticky rice variety grown in West Bengal.
- To prepare this Khejur Gurer Payesh, first wash and soak rice for about half-an-hour. Then drain the water and add a teaspoon of ghee to the rice. Keep aside.
- Next soak cashew nuts and raisins in water for about ten minutes. Blanch and de-skin almonds. Slice the pistas and almonds into slivers.
- Heat milk in a large pan and bring it to a boil.
- Lower the heat and add pre-washed rice to it.
- Allow to simmer till the milk reduces in quantity and turns a pale ivory colour. Check if the rice is cooked.
- Once the rice is done and the payesh attains a semi-thick consistency, put off the flame. Stir in the date palm jaggery.
- Garnish Bengali Gurer payesh with almond and pistachio slivers and serve chilled.
If you are looking for more payesh recipes, then do try out Sitaphal Payesh
Bengali Rice Kheer With Jaggery Recipe details below:
Bengali Payesh With Jaggery Recipe
Ingredients
- Gobindo Bhog Rice – 2 tbsp
- Full Cream Milk – 500 ml
- Notun Gur/Date palm jaggery – 2-2 ½ tbsp
- Raisins – 1 tsp
- Cashew nuts – 1 tsp
- Almonds – 1 tsp
- Pistachios - 1 tsp
- Ghee – ½ tsp
Instructions
- Wash and soak the rice for 30 minutes. Drain and mix in one tsp of ghee to the washed and drained rice.
- Soak raisins and cashews in water for 10 mins. Blanch almonds and remove skin. Slice almonds and pistachios into slivers. Keep aside.
- Heat milk in a large vessel. Once it starts to boil, add the rice and cook till the milk reduces in volume and starts to thicken. Keep stirring intermittently to prevent the milk from boiling over and to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the vessel.
- Once the rice is done, and you get the desired consistency, add the cashew nuts and raisins. Mix well and remove from stove.
- Slowly blend in date palm jaggery till the payesh takes on a uniform brownish colour. Garnish with almond and pistachio slivers.
- Allow the rice pudding to come to room temperature, pour in serving bowls and refrigerate.
- Serve Bengali Notun Gurer Payesh chilled.
Notes
- You can add bay leaf and crushed green cardamoms to the milk while boiling. However, to enjoy the distinct flavour of notun gur, it’s best avoided.
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