Basmati Chaal er Payesh/Basmati Rice Pudding

Payesh or kheer or rice pudding is considered to be very auspicious in Bengali households. It is usually made of a small grained aromatic version of rice that is known as Gobindo-bhog in Bengal. However, in my stint in the foreign land, when procuring this kind of rice wasn’t an option, basmati took its place. After all one cannot let Birthdays and Anniversaries pass without payesh!
Ingredients:

• basmati rice: 1/2 cup
• milk: 2 litres
• sugar: 4 tablespoon
• ghee: 1 tablespoon
• green cardamom: 2
• raisins: for garnish
• sliced almonds: for garnish
• chopped cashew nuts: for garnish
• rosewater: few drops

Preparation –

• Wipe the rice after washing it. Then dry it on a plate.
• In a large pan, heat the milk and add green cardamom powder. Simmer the milk to reduce it to about 3 quarters of its original volume.
• Mix in a tablespoon of ghee to the rice (washed previously).
• Next add this rice to the reduced milk.
• Add sugar as the rice softens up slightly.
• Continue to cook till the milk is reduced by half its original volume and starts to thicken. (the rice should be completely cooked by this time)
• Next add the dry fruits – raisins, almonds as well as the chopped cashew nuts.
• Add the rosewater once it is cooled.
• Cool it before serving.

Tip: Basmati needs to be soaked more and boiled more than Gobindo-bhog