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Rasamalai is a Bengali sweet dish made of freshly curdled milk called chenna. Chenna is kneaded thoroughly and made into small disks. These cheese disks are then cooked in bubbling mild sugar syrup till they are extremely soft and spongy. Cooked chenna disks are then soaked in thickened milk flavored with saffron. Rasmalai is served chilled garnished with chopped almonds and pistachios.
Makes: 5 - 7 Rasmalai
Ingredients:
Chenna 1 Cup
Whole / Skimmed Milk 3 cups
Pistachios 5
Almonds 3
Saffron few strands
Sugar 1 cup + to taste
Method of preparation:
Soak pistachios and almonds in warm water for few minutes.
Peel the soaked nuts and finely chop them.
Soak saffron in a tbsp of milk for few minutes.
Boil milk in a heavy bottomed vessel on medium - low flame until it reduces to half and coats the back of the spoon. Keep stirring during the process to avoid scorching.
Once milk is thick, remove from heat.
Stir in sugar, saffron milk and refrigerate for sometime.
Crumble the chenna and thoroughly knead it with help of hand.
After 5 - 7 minutes of kneading, take lime sized chenna and roll it into soft ball.
Slightly flatten the ball and repeat the same with remaining chenna mixture.
Bring to boil a two cups of water on high heat in a small width deep pan, add a cup of sugar.
Once the water starts bubbling, slowly place the flattened chenna disks into the water.
Let the water bubble for 3 - 5 minutes, after which chenna disks almost double in size.
Remove each chenna disks from hot water and dip into cold water.
Carefully squeeze out all water from the chenna disks and put them into previously chilled milk.
Garnish with chopped nuts and serve rasmalai chilled.
Notes: Make sure to chenna mixture doesn’t crumble once kneaded.
Suggestions: Chenna disks break in syrup - Knead the chenna mixture thoroughly next time. Test with one disk and proceed with others. Don’t overcook them in the mild sugar syrup.
Variations: Some add a hint of plain flour to the chenna mixture to make the process easier. Milk in rasmalai can be flavored to hearts content with various fruits and nuts. Santra Rasmalai / Orange Rasmalai (where orange slices are cooked with milk), Rasmalai with Basoondi (when milk is reduced to 1/4th), Strawberry Rasmalai (when chopped strawberries are added to boiling milk). Some versions of instant rasmalai call for bread or eggs instead of chenna.
Other Names: Rasmalaai, Ras Malai, Rasamalai, Kesar Pista Rasmalai, Kesari Rasmalai, Roshomalay, Rassmalai.