This post is dedicated to my love for all things Bengali! I have never been to Kolkata or any other place in the beautiful state of West Bengal but somehow I strongly feel I have a connection to that place. It's something I feel deep inside. I love everything Bengali from the feisty women to the saccharine sweet rosogullas! The thought of sitting in a café or library and discussing philosophy or books is very much appealing to me :) But alas! I don't know when the day will come when I meet my soul city, so in the meantime, I managed to get this very precious, delicious jaggery made from date palms.
It is something else altogether, hard to describe in words!
Without further ado, I bring to you my most favorite payesh!
For this you will need -
Date jaggery - One cup melted
Milk - 1 litre
Basmati Rice - One fistful
Bay Leaf
Cardamom
Cinnamon
Vanilla Pod
Almond - Pista - Sugar - Powdered
Method -
I can't give exact quantities for this recipe because I did it completely based on my instincts.
The most important part that I learnt from the net is that, this jaggery has the potential to curdle the milk which I am sure we can all guess. So the way to ensure it doesn't happen is this. Take a small cup of milk and put a spoon or two of the jaggery. Wait for it to melt completely and if I doesn't curdle, you have gold in your hands :)
Now, first boil the milk with the bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon and vanilla pods ( I used this because I love vanilla and had used pods which I didn't want to discard without milking the goodness out of them!) You can omit this and instead add nutmeg or any other flavor that you like.
Once the milk boils, strain and remove the leaves, sticks and pods!
Now, add the fistful of rice and allow to cook for 20 - 30 minutes.
As the rice cooks, the milk cream keeps forming a layer on top. Allow the layer to form and then stir it, so the payesh becomes rich and delicious.
In the meantime, take the jaggery and melt with a little water (maybe 1 -2 spoons) by heating it. Make sure to just lightly heat.
The jaggery will quickly melt and form a most intoxicating syrup that smells of coffee and sweetness and so full of earthiness!
Now check if the rice is cooked, by pressing a grain between your hands. If so, then add about 3- 4 spoons of powdered almond-pista-sugar.
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It is something else altogether, hard to describe in words!
Without further ado, I bring to you my most favorite payesh!
For this you will need -
Date jaggery - One cup melted
Milk - 1 litre
Basmati Rice - One fistful
Bay Leaf
Cardamom
Cinnamon
Vanilla Pod
Almond - Pista - Sugar - Powdered
Method -
I can't give exact quantities for this recipe because I did it completely based on my instincts.
The most important part that I learnt from the net is that, this jaggery has the potential to curdle the milk which I am sure we can all guess. So the way to ensure it doesn't happen is this. Take a small cup of milk and put a spoon or two of the jaggery. Wait for it to melt completely and if I doesn't curdle, you have gold in your hands :)
Now, first boil the milk with the bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon and vanilla pods ( I used this because I love vanilla and had used pods which I didn't want to discard without milking the goodness out of them!) You can omit this and instead add nutmeg or any other flavor that you like.
Once the milk boils, strain and remove the leaves, sticks and pods!
Now, add the fistful of rice and allow to cook for 20 - 30 minutes.
In the meantime, take the jaggery and melt with a little water (maybe 1 -2 spoons) by heating it. Make sure to just lightly heat.
The jaggery will quickly melt and form a most intoxicating syrup that smells of coffee and sweetness and so full of earthiness!
Now check if the rice is cooked, by pressing a grain between your hands. If so, then add about 3- 4 spoons of powdered almond-pista-sugar.
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The milk will start to thicken a bit, take it off the heat now. Allow to cool for about 5-10 minutes and pour the golden liquid in! Stir well and serve chilled!
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