Rasmalai is that one sweet dish which my father-in-law loves the most. Now because of his health issues he is staying with us in Bangalore. But until two years back whenever we used to go visit him in Jaipur, he would always buy and keep one pack of rasmalai in the fridge. If some guest is coming home for lunch or dinner… dessert was always rasmalai!!
So when I learned to prepare rasgulla, I decided to try rasmalai also.
Like rasgulla, rasmalai is also prepared with paneer but here additional ingredient is milk, making it different from rasgulla.
If you can prepare rasgulla, then trust me…. 90% work is done here!
So, again I am posting the recipe of Rasgulla here (just in case if anyone has missed it) as it is the main ingredient in rasmalai. Next, we will turn these rasgullas into rasmalai.
Ingredients
Rasgulla :
1 kg full fat milk
1 lemon juice (can be replaced with 1 tbsp vinegar)
2 cups sugar (granulated)
4-1/2 cups water
2 to 3 whole cardamom seeds (optional)
Keep ready one tray of ice cubes
Rasmalai:
1 litre low fat milk
Sugar, as per your taste
Few saffron strands (optional)
Cardamom powder
Mixed dry fruits (chopped)
Method
Squeeze out lemon juice, sieve it, add equal amount of water to the lemon juice and keep this mixture separately.
Boil milk and pour lemon juice into it. The moment milk starts curdling (milk is so hot that it will curdle quickly), switch off gas.
When whole milk is curdled nicely, pour that immediately in a strainer covered with muslin cloth and add ice cubes to it.
Let this chhena remain in muslin cloth and wash it nicely in running water so that no taste of lemon or vinegar remains. Squeeze out all water from chhena. Finally, hang this chhena in the muslin cloth for 10-15 minutes so that the rest of the water drains out. If you feel that chhena is too wet, squeeze it with your hands.
Mash chhena properly. Rub it nicely with your hands so that all the grains of chhena become soft and you can collect it like a dough.
Prepare small balls of this whole chhena dough. There should not be any cracks in the balls. If you are still gettings cracks, rub the chhena ball between your palms and again make the ball.
Actually, for rasmalai we can gently press the ball of chhena to look like patties. Now, in a big sized vessel or cooker add water, sugar, and cardamom seeds. Switch on gas on high flame. Keep stirring water till whole sugar is dissolved. The moment the water starts boiling, add all your chhena balls into this syrup.
If you are using cooker, let it boil till first whistle and then sim the flame for next 5-7 minutes.
If you are using a vessel, keep the flame high for the first five minutes and then reduce it to sim for the next 5-7 minutes. Keep some weight on the cover.
Don’t let the rasgullas boil for more than the required time, else they will turn chewy instead of spongy.
Let the steam cool down and then open the lid of the cooker. You will see that your small balls of chhena have doubled in size.
Your spongy rasgullas are ready or we can say that the first step of rasmalai preparation is over.
Shift them to another bowl along with sugar syrup. Let them cool down completely and later keep them in the fridge for 2-3 hours so that rasgullas becomes slightly firm.
Rasmalai:
Boil low fat milk kept for rasmalai. Once milk starts boiling, keep the heat on sim. Keep the milk stirring so as to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the vessel. Boil it till the volume of the milk is reduced to half of the original. Add sugar and stir till sugar dissolves completely and switch the off gas. Milk consistency will be thin now. If interested, add cardamom powder and saffron strands for flavor and let the milk cool down completely.
After 2-3 hours take rasgullas out from the fridge. Squeeze each one by one gently between your palms to take the syrup out from them and keep them on a strainer so that rest of the syrup drains out.
Remember not to squeeze hard, otherwise rasgulla will break.
Add these rasgullas in ready milk and keep them in the fridge for 3-4 hours so that rasgullas will absorb the milk. Add finely chopped mixed dry fruits.
In half of the milk I added some strands of saffron and left the other half as it. That is why you can see the difference in color in both the bowls below.
Serve chilled, creamy, delicious rasmalai to your and dear friends and enjoy the showers of appreciation.. 💃💃💃💃
