Celebrate Makar Sankranti with Nolen Gurer Payesh (Bengali Style Pudding with Date Jaggery)

1 liter Full cream milk

1 cup Palm Date jaggery (khejurer gur), broken into small pieces

1/2 cup Gobindobhog Chal / Kalajeera rice

1tbsp Sugar

6-7 Raisins

10-12 Cashews

5 Almonds 

Wash the rice 2-3 times, drain out the water and keep aside for half an hour. Soak almonds in warm water and peel of the skin and cut into thin stripes.

Pour milk in a heavy bottomed pan and wait till the first boil comes. Add rice, cashews and raisins to the boiling milk on low heat. Now here comes the part which tests your patience, keep stirring intermittently otherwise rice will stick to the bottom of the container. When the rice is cooked and milk reduces to almost half (this process takes about 35-40 minutes) switch off the burner. I did not add jaggery when the milk is on the stove as there is always a risk of cuddle milk. After 5 minutes add date jaggery little by little and with the help of spaluta mix well with the milk until it dissolves fully.

Put it back on the heat again and adjust the sweetness as per your liking. After 5 minutes switch off the gas burner. Transfer it to a serving bowl and serve it with sliced almonds. Let it cool down then refrigerate this payesh for 2-3 hours before serving. This payesh tastes best when served cold.