One of the popular Bengali sweet of spongy cottage cheese balls
Rasmalai is a Bengali sweet that is very popular among the Indian sweets . Ras malai – Ras translates to “juice” and malai to “cream”. Flattened balls of Chenna, the Indian cottage cheese are cooked in sugar syrup and dunked in sweetened thick milk that is of cream consistency. These flattened balls are juicy after soaking up the creamy thick milk. They are garnished with nuts, chilled and served.
Rasmalai can be made in 2 ways.
1. Original way making it from scratch – involves making chenna/paneer, shaping to flattened discs – boiling them in sugar syrup, condensing the milk to a creamy texture called rabri. Towards the end dunking them in the rabri.
2. Quick easy rasmalai – use the store bought rasgulla, a condensed milk and then just squeeze out the syrup from rasgulla and dunk them in the simmered diluted condensed milk.
Here i am showing first method : This method is not a quick one made with condensed milk, but the traditional way made with reducing milk.
I would suggest making the chhenna/paneer a day or two before and then later make the rasmalai. dividing work this way makes it easy.
2 liter milk for chhenna / paneer
1 liter milk (3 cups) for rabri(condensed milk)
2 to 3 tsp lemon juice or vinegar or 1tbsp yogurt(curds)
1 cup sugar for syrup
2 to 3 generous pinches of cardamom
½ cup sugar for rabri
handful of almonds
1/2 tsp saffron/kesar
Make chhenna / paneer:
Bring 5 cups milk to a boil in another pot for making chhenna/paneer. When the milk is boiling, then add lemon juice or vinegar or curds.
Keep stirring until the milk curdles completely. If needed add more lemon juice or vinegar. Switch off the stove.
When you see the milk has curdled completely, immediately add ice cubes or ice cold water. This is very important to keep the chhenna soft.
Drain it up in a thin clean muslin cloth.
Wrap up the paneer with 1 ice cube in the cloth bringing together all the edges. Put the cloth under running water, making sure the paneer is wrapped well in the cloth. Rinse it well under the running water to remove the smell of lemon or vinegar.
Tie up the paneer in the cloth like shown in the picture above. Squeeze off the excess water. Hang it up on a hook for 1 hour for the whey to completely drain.
At this step you must have chenna that is just moist with no dripping water and not sticky. Knead it well for about 10 minutes.
Make balls and flatten them gently. You can also make rasgulla or chum chum. If you find the edges cracked up, gently smoothen them. Cover and set them aside. (You can save this in fridge and continue the below steps tomorow).
Making rabri with milk for rasmalai recipe : Condensed milk
Add 3 cups milk to a heavy bottom pot ( 1 liter milk). When it starts boiling, put it on a medium flame and start stiring( to avoid sticking in bottom). Add saffron/ kesar and keep stirring every few minutes to prevent burning.
Add sugar, I used organic sugar. You can use white sugar as well.
Do not use high flame, milk may overflow the pot. Keep stirring every 2 to 3 minutes. Switch off when the milk gets condensed to half the quantity.
Making Syrup :
Bring 3 cups water to a boil with 1 cup sugar.
When the syrup begins to boil, add cardamom powder.
When the syrup begins to boil rapidly, add flattened discs of chhenna / paneer. Cover immediately and cook on a moderately high flame.
The discs would have doubled in size.
Take out one by one and cool. Gently squeeze them in between your palms to remove the absorbed sugar syrup. You can also do it with a spatula and spoon.
Add them to the rabri.
Add chopped pistachios, almonds and cashews. You can also simmer for just one to 2 minutes on a low flame for the milk to be absorbed by the discs. Do not overcook at this stage, they may break.
Garnish with nuts. chill and serve it.
Rasmalai is a Bengali sweet that is very popular among the Indian sweets . Ras malai – Ras translates to “juice” and malai to “cream”. Flattened balls of Chenna, the Indian cottage cheese are cooked in sugar syrup and dunked in sweetened thick milk that is of cream consistency. These flattened balls are juicy after soaking up the creamy thick milk. They are garnished with nuts, chilled and served.
Rasmalai can be made in 2 ways.
1. Original way making it from scratch – involves making chenna/paneer, shaping to flattened discs – boiling them in sugar syrup, condensing the milk to a creamy texture called rabri. Towards the end dunking them in the rabri.
2. Quick easy rasmalai – use the store bought rasgulla, a condensed milk and then just squeeze out the syrup from rasgulla and dunk them in the simmered diluted condensed milk.
Here i am showing first method : This method is not a quick one made with condensed milk, but the traditional way made with reducing milk.
I would suggest making the chhenna/paneer a day or two before and then later make the rasmalai. dividing work this way makes it easy.
How to make rasmalai with step by step photos:
Ingredients :2 liter milk for chhenna / paneer
1 liter milk (3 cups) for rabri(condensed milk)
2 to 3 tsp lemon juice or vinegar or 1tbsp yogurt(curds)
1 cup sugar for syrup
2 to 3 generous pinches of cardamom
½ cup sugar for rabri
handful of almonds
1/2 tsp saffron/kesar
Make chhenna / paneer:
Bring 5 cups milk to a boil in another pot for making chhenna/paneer. When the milk is boiling, then add lemon juice or vinegar or curds.
Keep stirring until the milk curdles completely. If needed add more lemon juice or vinegar. Switch off the stove.
When you see the milk has curdled completely, immediately add ice cubes or ice cold water. This is very important to keep the chhenna soft.
Drain it up in a thin clean muslin cloth.
Wrap up the paneer with 1 ice cube in the cloth bringing together all the edges. Put the cloth under running water, making sure the paneer is wrapped well in the cloth. Rinse it well under the running water to remove the smell of lemon or vinegar.
Tie up the paneer in the cloth like shown in the picture above. Squeeze off the excess water. Hang it up on a hook for 1 hour for the whey to completely drain.
At this step you must have chenna that is just moist with no dripping water and not sticky. Knead it well for about 10 minutes.
Make balls and flatten them gently. You can also make rasgulla or chum chum. If you find the edges cracked up, gently smoothen them. Cover and set them aside. (You can save this in fridge and continue the below steps tomorow).
Making rabri with milk for rasmalai recipe : Condensed milk
Add 3 cups milk to a heavy bottom pot ( 1 liter milk). When it starts boiling, put it on a medium flame and start stiring( to avoid sticking in bottom). Add saffron/ kesar and keep stirring every few minutes to prevent burning.
Add sugar, I used organic sugar. You can use white sugar as well.
Do not use high flame, milk may overflow the pot. Keep stirring every 2 to 3 minutes. Switch off when the milk gets condensed to half the quantity.
Making Syrup :
Bring 3 cups water to a boil with 1 cup sugar.
When the syrup begins to boil, add cardamom powder.
When the syrup begins to boil rapidly, add flattened discs of chhenna / paneer. Cover immediately and cook on a moderately high flame.
The discs would have doubled in size.
Take out one by one and cool. Gently squeeze them in between your palms to remove the absorbed sugar syrup. You can also do it with a spatula and spoon.
Add them to the rabri.
Add chopped pistachios, almonds and cashews. You can also simmer for just one to 2 minutes on a low flame for the milk to be absorbed by the discs. Do not overcook at this stage, they may break.
Garnish with nuts. chill and serve it.
Also check out this video recipe of Rasmalai that has demonstration of both rasmalai rabdi and rasmalai chenna:
