Nolen Gur’er Payesh | Bengali Rice Kheer with Date Palm Jaggery | Kitchenstagram
Celebrate Poila Boishakh with a bowl of comforting Nolen Gur’er Payesh, a dessert that beautifully reflects Bengal’s love for seasonal flavours and tradition. This classic sweet holds a special place during Noboborsho, bringing families together over something warm, nostalgic, and deeply rooted in culture.
Known across India in different forms- like Kheer in the north and Payasam in the south- Payesh in Bengal carries its own identity. What sets it apart is the use of Nolen Gur, the winter treasure made from date palm sap, which lends a distinct aroma and a mellow, earthy sweetness that sugar simply cannot replicate.
The texture of this payesh is luxuriously creamy, achieved by slowly cooking rice in milk until it thickens into a rich, velvety consistency. The choice of rice plays an important role-short-grain, aromatic varieties like Gobindobhog rice are traditionally preferred for their fragrance and ability to enhance the overall experience. Each spoonful carries a balance of softness and depth, making it both comforting and indulgent.
Despite its richness, this dessert feels light enough to be enjoyed at any time- whether served warm right after cooking or chilled for a thicker, more pudding-like consistency. Over time, its flavour deepens, making every bite even more satisfying.
Simple yet deeply meaningful, Nolen Gur’er Payesh is more than just a sweet dish- it is a celebration of heritage, seasonality and the joy of togetherness that defines Bengali New year.
Ingredients
1 litre Whole Milk
50 gm Gobindobhog Rice
160 gm Nolen Gur (Date palm jaggery)
2 tbsp Ghee
1 no. Bay leaf
4 nos. Green Cardamom, crushed
1/4 tsp Salt
20 gm Cashew nuts
20 gm Raisins, soaked
Preparation
- Step 1: Soak and rinse the Gobindobhog rice, do not over wash the rice as we don’t want to lose too much starch. Coat the washed rice in 1 tsp of ghee and set aside.
- Step 2: Melt 1 tbsp ghee in a pan. Add cashew nuts and fry until golden. Set aside. Then add raisins and fry. Set aside.
- Step 3: In the same pan add remaining ghee and add bay leaf and crushed green cardamom, fry for few minutes. In a thick bottomed pot, add 1 L milk and boil, once it boils lower the heat. Reduce the milk for about 10 minutes. Stir regularly so that the milk does not catch the bottom or sides of the pan.
- Step 4: Now, add fried spices with ghee and ghee coated rice to the milk, stir to combine. Keep cooking on low heat until the rice is fully cooked. Stir gently throughout this process, this ensure that the payesh doesn’t bun and stirring will also release the starch from the rice, which will help thicken the payesh.
- Step 5: Once the rice is mushy soft and the milk reduces to about 1/2 its volume and become rich and creamy. Turn off the heat.
- Step 6: Add salt, fried raisins, cashews and the Nolen gur, stir to combine. Cover the pan and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes or until the residual heat melt the gur fully.
- Step 7: Serve hot or chilled. While serving garnish with few fried cashews. Enjoy!!
About Me
DEBJANI MONDAL
Welcome to Kitchenstagram, the home of delicious recipes, culinary inspiration and cooking adventures. I’m Debjani and I’m thrilled to be your guide through the wonderful world of food. I’m a self-taught professional baker, home chef, recipe developer, author of Kitchenstagram and an aspiring YouTuber.
My passion for food and cooking began at a very young age, when I would watch my mom and dad cook for me and my brother. My dad, in particular is a great cook whose culinary skills made a lasting impression on me. My dad would cook up a storm on special occasions by cooking variety of dishes, from delicious biriyani to samosa, fish fry, rasgullas and kachoris (sweet & spicy deep fried pastry with filling of lentils, meat or fish…>>>>>
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