Ras Malai

I though I will share this extremely delicious and easy to prepare Rasmalai here.We made this for this months edition of Indian Cooking Challenge.Rasmalai is a traditional sweet from West Bengal,India and also a favorite in Bangladesh.

Rasmalai is made using paneer /Ricotta cheese and this paneer can be homemade or you can buy these from the store.The paneer is cooked in sugar syrup and then simmered in milk flavored with cardamom,saffron and an array of nuts.So you bet it will be delicious.

It is usually served garnished with nuts like slivered almonds and pistachio but I served it with grated chocolate.

Take a look at the yummy dessert before I proceed to the method...


Now for the step by step guide to make this delicious dessert at home.

I used:

Milk-1 liter + 3/4 liter
Lemon juice from half a lemon
Sugar -a little less than half a kilo
Maida /All purpose flour[APF]- 1 teaspoon
Cardamom-2 pods,crushed
Saffron-a few strands,soaked in a tablespoon of warm milk
Powdered nuts-2 tablespoons

1.Heat 1 liter milk in a vessel and bring it to boil.

2.Switch off the flame and squeeze out the juice from the lemon.

3.It will curdle immediately,else add more lemon juice.Let it stand for 10 minutes.


4.Strain.


5.Put the paneer into a vessel and wash a couple of times with water.

6.Transfer the paneer onto a cheese cloth and squeeze out excess water.

7.Tie the cloth and hang it so that the whey drains out completely.It took almost an hour.

8.The whey water is very nutritious .So do not discard it.Store it in the fridge for later use.[See note at the end of the post]

9.After the whey has drained completely, here is the paneer ready to be used.

10.Add the maida[APF] to the paneer and knead for 15 minutes.Knead well else it may break when dropped into the sugar syrup.

11.Make small balls.



I got 15...

12.In a pressure cooker,take 2 cups of water[approx-400ml] and add half the sugar.

13.Once the sugar dissolves,put in the paneer balls and pressure cook for 2 whistles / 10 minutes.


14.The paneer will be double the original size now.

15.Heat the 3/4 liter milk in a heavy bottomed vessel and add the remaining sugar, nuts, saffron, cardamom and simmer till it reduces to 3/4th of the original quantity.


16.Remove the paneer from the syrup and squeeze them gently to remove excess syrup.Flatten them lightly.


17.Drop them gently into the reduced milk mixture.


18.Simmer for 10 minutes.Remove from heat.Let it cool,refrigerate and serve!!!


Isn't it pretty easy.I finished the actual procedure in an hour.The waiting time was 1 hour for the whey to drain.My nephews who love this dessert[as much as I do!] were eager to taste it and they were totally taken in by the taste!!!They want me to prepare this again!!!I am so glad it turned out perfect in spite of the fact that this is my first try...

The chilled Rasmalai was way better than the ones I used to have outside.It does make sense,after all, its home made!!!

Note:

The whey that we get when milk coagulates is rich in nutrients.It can be used in a plenty of ways.All you need to do is store it in the refrigerator and

• Use it to prepare chapathi/Roti use this water to make the dough.
• It can also be used instead of lemon juice[as a starter] the next time you make paneer.
• Use it as a soup base
• Add a pinch of salt and drink it up.
• Use it while preparing baked goodies.
• Use it in milkshakes instead/with milk.