Rasmalai

July 25, 2011 atasipatra
Tags: dessert, Malai, Milk, rasmalai

Rasmalai (rasa malai to some) is an Indian delicacy often categorized as a Milk Sweet. It is made from Chhena/ Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) and it makes a great dessert. Just because this dessert is so delicious, I thought it would be difficult to make. But, it turns out to be quite an easy recipe. It is my hubby’s favorite dessert so I was always interested to prepare it at home. This time I made it and he kept asking me where I bought this  from as  it tasted better.

Ingredients:

• 1 liter milk for making Chhena/Paneer(Indian cottage cheese)
• 1 liter full cream milk for malai
• 2 lemon
• 4 cups of sugar powder(one may change the quantity as per the taste)
• 1 1/2 tea spoon of  cardamom powder(illaichi)
• 4 strips of saffron (kessar)
• 10-12 almonds cut into pieces(longitudinally)

Pour 1 liter of milk in a container and put it on fire. When the milk starts boiling squeeze the lemons to milk. Within a few  seconds the Chhena/Paneer starts floating. Drain the water using a thin, clean cotton cloth and collect the Chhena. Squeeze out all the water from Chhena.  Prepare a dough from this Chhena. You can also use a food processor or grinder for making the dough. Divide the dough into 12 equal parts. With the help of your palm make small balls and then tap on top to make small discs. Take 1 liter water in a pressure cooker add 1 cup sugar powder to it. When the water starts to boil add the Chhena discs into the boiling water, put the cover and wait for one whistle.  Remove it from fire and let the cooker releases its pressure normally. Open the cooker, you will be surprised to see the discs have swelled to twice their size. Remove the discs from the cooker and let them cool down. In the mean while boil 1 liter full cream milk . Add sugar powder, cardamom powder and saffron to it ,stir it continuously. When the milk reduces to 1/2 liter remove it from fire. Gently press each Chhena discs with your palm, to squeeze out excess water and put them in milk. Garnish it with almonds.Rasmalai is ready to be server.

Note: Rasmalai tastes best when served a bit cold.

Entry Filed under: Bengali delicacies,desserts,Milk Sweets

4 Comments Add your own

• 1. Debahuti Ghosal  |  September 8, 2011 at 5:05 pm

  ‘Prepare a dough from this Chhena. You can also use a food processor or grinder for making the dough.’ – Can you please explain this how to do it in a Kitchen?. All your receipes are too good..

  Reply

  • 2. atasipatra  |  September 8, 2011 at 10:49 pm

    Thanks Debahuti for your encouraging words.

    Once the Chena is ready from the milk, drain the excess water from the chena using a soft cloth. Let it cool down. Once it cools down, squeeze the chena as much as you can so as to drain water from it. Once you have done this, you would have chena lumps in the cloth. Now put these chena lumps form the cloth into a food processor / grinder and whip it for a few seconds. What this would do is it would break the lumps and make a smooth soft chena dough.

    If you do not have a food processor/grinder, use you hands/palms to break the lumps of chena and knead a dough, just like you do for atta/maida.

    Note: Do not add any water to the chena at all, for preparing the dough, as chena itself has enough water for dough making.

    Hope this explains the process well. In case of more doubts/questions please feel free to ask.

    Reply

• 3. kamla  |  November 20, 2012 at 10:20 pm

  i always try rasmalai but every time i fail could you please tell why the balls of panner never double in size in the syrup

  thnx for your reply

  Reply

  • 4. atasipatra  |  December 11, 2012 at 1:42 am

    If the syrup is very concentrated/thick the panneer balls will not be able to soak in much of it and grow in size. Please try by using a thin/light syrup. Make the syrup in a cooker, put the balls in the cooker and give one whistle on a high flame. That should do the trick .

    Sorry for the delay in replying.

    Regards,

    Atasi

    Reply

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