Gobindobhog payesh: Bengali rice kheer for bhog

Payesh is the sweet note that closes the Durga Puja bhog plate. After khichuri, labra and chutney comes a small bowl of creamy rice cooked in milk, scented with bay leaf and cardamom. It is one of the oldest sweets in Bengali cooking and, with only a few ingredients, depends on patience more than skill.

Its place in the puja

Milk, rice and sugar are among the purest foods in Hindu offering traditions, and payesh appears at many auspicious moments in Bengali life: a child's first rice ceremony, birthdays, and the bhog on Ashtami and Navami. At community pujas it is often cooked in large brass or aluminium pots and served in small portions at the end of the meal. In homes, some families offer payesh in a separate bowl alongside the main bhog. Read more in our Durga Puja food and bhog guide.

Tips for success

• Use full-fat milk. Low-fat milk gives a thin, watery payesh. Full-fat cow's milk reduces to a rich, naturally creamy base.
• Choose a wide, heavy pan. A wider surface reduces the milk faster, and a thick base helps stop scorching. A non-stick pan is a good choice if you are new to it.
• Keep the ratio. About 50 g of rice to 1 litre of milk gives a pourable payesh. More rice makes it thick and stodgy once it cools.
• Cook the rice fully before adding sugar. Sugar slows the softening of rice. If you add it too early, the grains stay firm.
• Stir and scrape. Run the spoon along the bottom and the sides of the pan; the skin that forms on the sides can be scraped back in for extra richness.
• Remember it thickens. Turn off the heat while the payesh still looks a little thinner than you want.

Also readDurga Puja bhog recipes

The nolen gur variation

In winter, from around November to January, Bengal's markets fill with nolen gur, the new season's date-palm jaggery. Nolen gurer payesh is made with it in place of sugar and has a deep, smoky, caramel flavour. Since Durga Puja normally comes before the season, this is a version for later in the year. Cook the rice in milk as above, turn off the heat, wait 5 minutes and stir in about ½ cup of grated gur (or 3–4 tbsp liquid jhola gur). Do not boil it again, or the milk may split.

Other variations

• Saffron: a few strands soaked in warm milk, added with the sugar, give a pale gold colour.
• Less sweet: reduce the sugar to ¼ cup (50 g) if you prefer, or if you are serving it alongside other sweets.
• Thickened milk: for a richer festive payesh, reduce 1.25 litres of milk for 10 minutes before adding the rice.
• Nuts: pistachios or almonds can replace cashews.

Storing and serving

Payesh keeps in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It sets thicker when cold; stir in a few spoons of warm milk to loosen it. Many people love it chilled on a warm October afternoon, while others prefer it just warm. Serve in small bowls after the meal, or as part of the bhog thali with narkel naru or another sweet alongside.