Chaler Payesh

This is a bengali sweet dish and mostly associated with aupicious occasions and in remembrance of good and prosperous times. But for me it mostly means a comfort food that helps me cope with my occasional bouts of homesickness and depression sessions.
So today being one of those days I thought of preparing this sweet dish along with another regular fav of any fish eating bengali : Ilish maach (Hilsa).
My ingredient amounts are by my intutions and I will keep it like that.
Sorry for the inconvience to the readers.
My mom is the one to blame for this for she never would tell me the measures while I watched her prepare my favorites and bestowed on me the most exasperated expressions each time I had a question. So my measures are obscure but once done, the dish mostly turns up good to look and taste at my end and I pray the very same for you.
Here's the PaYaSh :
Ingredients
3/4 cup of Gobindo Bhog Rice
5 cups of milk
1/2 cup sugar and a tiny piece of gud (jaggery)
2 crushed cardomon
Tej pata (Bay leaf)
some almonds and Raisins
coconut shredded is optional
Method
wash and Soak the rice in water and keep aside.
Heat the milk on medium flame and keep stirring or else it will boil over.
When the milk starts to boil, add the rice slowly to it. Remember to keep stirring the milk continously. when the rice softens add the bay leaf, sugar and jaggery.
Keep stirring and let the milk reduce and thicken. the time may differ depending on the heat and the vessels. When the milk has thickened and the rice grains has become soft, add cardomon to it and stir gently.
Remove the container from flame and add almonds sliced into half and raisins on top.
Cool the payesh. serve it warm or chilled for a couple of hours.
Enjoy the sweet taste of bengal.