By Shweta Jindal
Sep 26, 2015 5 min read

Ras-malai

Hello All!! Today I am sharing the most popular

> > sweet dish “Rasmalai”, whose name itself brings “Ras” in the mouth. Unlike Rasgulla some mistakes are forgiven in this recipe. If we follow step by step process, the result is delicious.
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> I had had it in my granny’s house for the 1st time in my childhood. My Granny’s house is in a small town in U.P. and usually we didn’t had electricity back then, so we used to crave for some cool and refreshing sweets after the dinner. That’s when this Rasmalai came for our rescue and relieved us. 😛

INGREDIENTS:
1. Milk – (1 + 1) litre (4 cups)
2. Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp (Diluted)
3. Pistachios(pista) sliced – 2 tbsp
4. Almonds (Badam) sliced – 2 tbsp
5. Saffron strands (Kesar)- 20 strands
6. Cudpahnut (Chironji) – 2 tbsp (optional)
7. Cardamom Powder ( Choti Elaichi powder) – 1 tsp
8. Semolina ( Sooji) – ¹⁄₂ tsp
9. Fennel seed powder / Aniseed powder ( Saunf powder)- ¹⁄₂ tsp
10. White pepper powder(safed mirch) -¹⁄₄ tsp
11. Sugar – 1 cup ( 300 gms)
12. Yellow gel food color – 2-3 drops (optional)
13. Kewra Flavor – 1 tsp (optional)

METHOD:
| Preparation time : 30 mins | Cooking time : 10 mins | Standing time : 12 hrs | Serves 4 -5 persons at a time |
1. First of all , lets begin with making Chhena or paneer for the rasmalai. For this ,lets boil 1 litre milk in a pan. In the meanwhile we keep our lemon juice ready. You will need juice from 1 big lemon. Add 1 tbsp water in it.

When it comes to a rolling boil, turn off the heat. Wait for 2 mins to let it cool slightly.
Now add the lemon juice and stir with a ladle to mix it in the milk. Keep on adding with one hand, and stirring with other until you see the greenish white whey being separated from it. Stop as soon as you see the water being separated from the milk. You don’t have to add all the lemon juice in it. In case you don’t have lemons, you may use White distilled vinegar too in the same proportion.
Strain the whey and paneer thus formed through a muslin cloth lined colander.
Wash it in cold water and squeeze out the water from the cloth by bringing its ends together and slightly pressing it. Don’t press it too hard or else it might get torn due to pressure and heated paneer.
Once all the water has drained out keep the paneer under a heavy weight for 5 mins.
Now take the paneer from the cloth and put it in a plate.
Mash it nicely for 8-10 mins with your hands in the plate till you see the fat oozing out from it on your hands.
Now add the cardamom powder, 1 spoon powdered sugar and sooji in it and again knead it for 3 mins.
Place a cooker with 1 cup water,kewra flavor and 2 tbsp sugar in it on the stove. Bring it to a boil.
Meanwhile add yellow gel food color to the chhena and knead it again. Make small round balls of the size of small grapes. If your chhena is soft enough, you won’t see any cracks in it while making rounds. Also they will double in size after getting cooked , so make sure you don’t overcrowd the cooker and make small enough balls.
When the water in the cooker starts boiling add the balls thus formed in it one by one slowly and cautiously to avoid burning hands. We have taken less water to ensure that when the rasgullas start puffing they will flatten at the bottom, because of the pressure from above and the bottom surface of the cooker, to get a flattened ras-malai shape.
Close the lid and after one whistle blows lower the heat to lowest possible temperature.
Let it cook for exactly 5 mins on the lowest heat.
Turn off the heat and transfer the cooker on a cooled surface. Don’t open it by releasing pressure now.
In the meanwhile, add the fennel powder, nuts, kesar, white pepper powder,sugar in the milk and bring it to a boil. Stir in between to avoid sticking at the bottom. After boiling it , let it cool to room temperature.
Although this white pepper is essential, add it in the qty specified above or else you will have its strong flavor, that might spoil your taste.
Once the cooker has come to the room temperature and the pressure released by itself, take out the flattened round rasgullas and press them on a strainer with your hands to squeeze out the syrup from it.
Now add this rasgullas to the milk (both at room temperature). You will see them puff up instantly to regain the shape.
Let this Rasmalai cool in refrigerator for at least 12 hrs before serving. It tastes best when serve chilled.
Mouth-watering Rasmalai is ready and you will notice that they have puffed up even more now.
(Tips: 1. Never use citric acid for making chhena. You will get a hard one.
Don’t add lemon juice to boiling milk.Pour it when it is 80% hot.
Too much of lemon juice will harden the chhena. Too less will not coagulate the chhena.
Less sugar in water for boiling rasgullas is necessary. In this way we avoid the risk of hardened rasgullas due to sugar syrup.
Never give them temperature attack, if you wish to make them soft. For more info : please read Rasgulla and Rajbhog )