Chaaler Payesh | Chawal Ki Kheer | Indian Rice Pudding

Chaaler Payesh | Chawal Ki Kheer | Indian Rice Pudding

Author: Rumki Paul
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Bengali
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Total time: 60 minutes
Servings: 4 Persons

Chaaler Payesh | Chawal Ki Kheer is one of the most evergreen dessert recipes which complements every festival with its warmth, comfort and irresistible taste. It is an old traditional dessert which is prepared with Milk, Gobindo Bhog rice, Sugar, Raisins and flavoured with Bay leaf and Cardamoms. It is a very simple and easy recipe which gives extraordinary result with these handful of ingredients.

Chawal Ki Kheer is an iconic dessert of India which has hundreds of variations throughout the country. But Bengali style Chawal Ki Kheer i.e. Chaaler Payesh is slightly different from north Indian Style Kheer. The main difference is because of the special type of Rice that is used to prepare this Payesh. Bongs always use Gobindobhog Chaal for Chawal Ki Kheer.

What is Gobindo bhog Chaal (Rice)?

Gobindo Bhog Chaal (Rice) is very famous in West Bengal. In Bengal, this rice is specially used in preparing Kheer and Pulao.

It is very tiny grained aromatic white Rice. It is mostly cultivated in few districts of West Bengal.

Indian Dessert Recipe, Chaaler Payesh | Chawal Ki Kheer | Indian Rice Pudding, Festival Dessert, Rumki's Golden Spoon, Bengali Cuisine, sweet recipe with rice, payasam, elaichi/cardamom flavoured kheer, dessert recipe with milk

What type of milk is used for the recipe?

To prepare Chaaler Payesh, always use full fat milk. It gives best result. Normally, in the traditional recipe of Payesh, neither Khoya, Mawa or Condensed Milk is used to make it yummier or to thicken its texture. For this recipe, I have followed the same to uphold the authenticity of the dish.

Best utensils to prepare Chaaler Payesh

Always use heavy bottom non-stick pan to prepare Chaaler Payesh. It helps to prevent burning of milk and even helps the milk to not stick along the sides of the pan.

How to get perfect consistency of Chaaler Payesh without any lumps?

First, allow the Milk to boil. Once it starts boiling, reduce some of its volume in low flame and stir sporadically. Otherwise, the milk may stick to the bottom of the pan. It helps you to get the perfect consistency of the Payesh.

When you add the Rice into the Milk, stir vigorously with the help of a spatula for few minutes. Otherwise lumps may occur.

During the time of cooking the Rice, stir the milk repeatedly in small intervals of time.

Always cook the rice in low flame.

Normally, in Chaaler Payesh only Bay leaves and Cardamoms are used for flavouring. Gobindo Bhog Chaal has its own unique flavour and the amalgamation of these three ingredients create extraordinary aroma. I have used Cardamom powder instead of whole Cardamom.

Note: If you are using whole Cardamom then always break the heads of each of them and discard them after cooking.

I have used Raisins during the time of cooking and Nuts for garnishing. In traditional recipe, Nuts are not used during the time of cooking and I have followed the same.

It is a slow cooking recipe but its completely worth to spend every second on this luscious creamy dessert. According to grannies, it tastes best if it is cooked slowly with patience and love without any shortcut. But this golden rule is surprisingly applicable to all the ranges and cuisines of Chawal Ki Kheer.

Variations of Chawal Ki Kheer

In various regions across India, this dessert is known by different names. But the recipes are almost similar to each other. The types of rice used is different in each region.

In South India, it is famous by the name Payasam whereas in Bengal it is known as Payesh and in North it is known as Kheer.

In other parts of India, there are many other versions like Punjabi kheer, Kashmiri kheer, Marathi kheer and many more. Some of these varieties are also flavoured using Saffron or Rose water.

In Bengal, Chaaler Payesh is mostly prepared in two different ways. One is Sada Payesh which is sweetened by sugar and another is sweetened by Date Palm Jaggery which is known as Nalen Gurer Payesh.

The unforgettable contribution of Chaaler Payesh in Bengali culture

Let me share few interesting facts about this dessert which makes every Bong emotional. For every bong, Chaaler Payesh is more than just a dessert for all these sentimental factors.

In Bengali culture, it is a very old ritual to prepare Chaaler Payesh for each family member’s birthday occasion. All the family members feed the special person of the day, a spoon full of payesh, with lots of blessings and love in front of God. It is like the cake cutting ceremony to Bongs.

In fact, in most of the temples in Bengal, Puja (Worship) is incomplete if you don’t offer this Chaaler Payesh to God. This is called Bhog er Prasad.

It is an old and compulsory ritual to prepare this Chawal Ki Kheer by Brahmins for the expecting lady during the Baby Shower ceremony.

In Bengal, there is a ceremony named as Annaprashan (First Rice Ceremony) where an infant is fed Solid food instead of Milk for the first time. In this ritual, Chaaler Payesh is offered first to the infants as Prasad.

I have learnt this dessert from my Mom. Whenever I talk about Chaaler Payesh I feel nostalgic about it. Since my remembrance, I have seen my mother to prepare this dessert on each of my birthdays.

I have already shared many Kheer (Payesh) recipes. You can check few of them like

Sooji ki Kheer

Seviyan ki Kheer

Kesar Phirni

..And Many more…

Ingredients:

Full cream Milk, 1 litre
3 tablespoons of Gobindo Bhog Chaal (Aromatic Rice)
2 tablespoons Raisins, for cooking
¾ cup of Sugar (It can vary accordingly)
½ teaspoon Cardamom powder (Elaichi powder)
1 Bay leaf
1 tablespoon Raisins for garnishing
1 tablespoon Almond
1 teaspoon Cashew, thin sliced

Instructions:

Wash and soak the Gobindo Bhog rice for 15 minutes.
Drain the Water and keep it aside.
On the other side, take the Milk in a heavy bottom Saucepan and bring it to boil.
Tear the Bay leaf into pieces and add into the Milk.
Cook it in medium flame and stir occasionally.
Once the Milk starts boiling, cook it in medium low flame.
Stir occasionally until the Milk reduced to around 800ml.
Add the Rice (Step 2) and mix it properly.
Cook it in low flame for half an hour.
Stir occasionally or else the Milk will start sticking to the bottom of the Saucepan.
When the Rice gets cooked completely, add the Raisins and give a nice mix.
When the Rice becomes visible and you have got the desired consistency of the kheer, add Sugar.
Stir it properly and cook it for another couple of minutes.
Before switching off the flame, add Cardamom powder and mix it well.

Serving Instruction

Transfer the Chawal Ki Kheer into serving bowls. Garnish them with Raisins and Nuts. You can choose to serve Chawal Ki Kheer either at room temperature or chilled. It tastes yummy at both the conditions. Serve your friends and family and spread happiness.