Rasmalai

Rasmalai is one of our family favorite Indian sweet.

Here I will write down how to make perfectly soft rasmalai at home. I hope it will be of some help to all my readers

For the rasmalai balls

1-liter whole milk

4 tablespoons lemon juice (strain the juice)*check notes

1 teaspoon corn flour

4 cups water

1/2 cup sugar

For the ras [syrup]

500 ml whole milk

5-6 green cardamom pods peeled and crushed OR ¼ th tsp cardamom powder

saffron a pinch

5-6 tablespoons sugar

finely chopped pistachios

INSTRUCTIONS

Rasmalai Balls

Boil milk in a heavy bottom pan.

Once it comes to a boil, switch off the flame.

Wait for 5-10 minutes start adding lemon juice till milk curdles.

Make sure the milk curdles completely.

Using a strainer drain the water and collect the chena (this will be used as malai).

Rinse it under tap water for atleast 3-4 times so that there's no trace of lemon juice in it.

Leave it in the strainer for 25 minutes and then take the chena in your hand and squeeze out remaining water slowly.

Add corn flour and start mashing the chena till it’s smooth by rubbing it with the edge of your palms.

Set the clock to 10 minutes and mash constantly for 10 minutes using your palm. Once it’s smooth, make small balls out of it.

Heat 1/2 cup sugar and 4 cups water in a wide pan and wait till it comes to a full boil.

Drop the balls in boiling sugar syrup and cook for 18-20 minutes. The balls will double in size by then.

Take out the balls from the syrup and drop them in fresh ice-cold water. If they sink to the bottom, the balls are done.

Thickened Milk/Ras :

In a heavy bottom pan, boil 500 ml of milk.

Soak few strands of saffron in a tablespoon of warm water and set aside.

Once the milk comes to a boil, lower the flame and continue to stir the milk at regular intervals. After 10 minutes add sugar and mix.

In 5 more minutes, add soaked saffron and crushed cardamom.

Mix and switch off the flame.

Take out the cooled rasmalai balls from the sugar syrup, squeeze and flatten with your hands.

Transfer the balls to flavoured milk [milk should be warm].

Chill in the refrigerator overnight or for 5-6 hours.

Garnish with chopped pistachios.

Aps Notes:

If you do not have lime juice then you can replace it with vinegar. But you will need to wash the malai a bit more.

Enjoy Making.

Happy Cooking,

Aps