What I have for you today is a delicious DELICIOUS dessert that takes all of 12 mins to make. This is another gem that Darsh introduced me to and I was floored, just like I was with her tiramisu recipe.
The name she gave this - Chenna Payash - leads me to believe that this is a Bengali dessert, not that we are surprised by that, so I want to leave a disclaimer that this may not be an authentic chenna payash recipe or anything. But did I mention it's delicious?
Paneer Payasam (Chenna Payash) Recipe
Preparation time: 2 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves 2-4 people
Ingredients:
¾ cup of crumbled paneer (here's how you can make paneer at home)
2 cups of milk (I used low fat)
¼ cup of sweetened condensed milk (adjust to taste)
2 of green cardamom pods
½ teaspoon of sugar
A few strands of saffron for garnish (optional)
A few pistachios (or almond slivers)
How to Make Paneer Payasam
1. Powder the cardamom seeds with the ½ teaspoon sugar until fine. I don't like biting into chunky cardamom seeds so I pound it fine. If you have powdered cardamom in hand, just omit the sugar and use a bit of that.
2. In a pan, bring the milk to boil on low heat.
3. Add the condensed milk and mix well.
4. Bring to boil again and then add the powdered cardamom.
5. Crumble paneer as fine as you can with your fingertips...
... and add it to the boiling milk. Stir well to combine. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes more. Test for sweetness and adjust the amount of milk/condensed milk as desired. You need to have enough liquid base for the paneer to swim in so keep an eye on the consistency. These proportions worked great for me.
That's it! You can serve it hot but personally we prefer it chilled for a couple of hours. So bring the payesh to room temperature and then chill in the refrigerator.
Oh, and if you want to add saffron, add it at the end when the payesh is hot.
Garnish with pistachios before serving. The payesh looks very dull on it's own and doesn't convey how delicious it is without the help of the pistachios 😉
Anonymous
Hey, any particular reason why the cardamom should be powdered with some sugar?
Nagalakshmi V
yes, since it's a small quantity of cardamom, it powders better if you do it along with sugar. if you have powdered cardamom in hand already, just use that for the paneer payasam
AMS
Hey, Nags! Tried this recipe recently, and it came out really well! Insanely delicious! 😀 Thanks!
Rashida Shaikh
Dessert that could be ready in 12 minutes?
I'm gonna try it...Loved the pics
Suvasini....
Hey there ! Have been stalking your site every now and then looking for new ideas or recipes for those old favorites which mom made. Thanks for hosting this. One question about the payesh though.. Just wondering how you think Tofu will stand up as a replacement for Paneer ?
Nagalakshmi V
hey! 🙂 tofu will work in this but will taste very bland. if you really like tofu, it will be just fine i think
Suvasini....
Well, the thing is I am not too fond of Tofu and therefore like and mix it with whatever tasty things i can figure out just so i can have more protein. I was thinking that the sugar and cardamom might neutralize the blandness of tofu. But good to know ! Thanks !
Anu Nandu
One of my favorites - pass me a cup please!
Nimi
Tried your really delicious and easy dessert. Loved it. Added very very little kewra essence (only one to two drops) to it and it enhanced the flavour of the payasam (add only when you want to chill it). Love your blog, your recipe pics and the systematic way of presenting recipes.
beena
I have a doubt ... any chance of it gettin curdled ???
Nagalakshmi V
when you add paneer to milk? no, it won't curdle.
Anonymous
i tried..it got curdled..why? 🙁
Sanjeeta kk
Paneer desserts..yum..yum..looks easy and fun recipe to make!
Padhu
Quick and delicious kheer!
Hari Chandana
Wow... quick and delicious kheer.. looks awesome !!
Indian Cuisine