Payesh (Bangladeshi Rice Pudding with Cardamom and Jaggery)
Creamy milk rice slowly simmered with bay leaf and cardamom and finished with jaggery. A Bengali birthday dessert.
- Time1 hr 10
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £0.50 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
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Method
- 1
Melt the butter in a large heavy saucepan. Add the rice and fry for 1 minute, stirring, until glossy.
- 2
Pour in the milk. Add the cardamom pods and bay leaves and bring to a gentle boil, stirring.
3 min - 3
Turn the heat to low and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes, stirring every few minutes and scraping the base, until the rice is very soft and the milk has thickened to a thin custard.
43 min 20 s - 4
Stir in the raisins and simmer for 5 minutes.
5 min - 5
Take off the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the jaggery until dissolved, adding it off the heat so the milk does not split. Add the ground cardamom.
- 6
Serve warm or chilled. It thickens as it cools, so loosen with a splash of milk if needed.
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.
