Ras Malai
December 2nd, 2007 filed under Desserts
Rasmalai is a Bengali dessert consisting of soft paneer balls immersed in chilled creamy milk. Like Rasgullas, Rasmalai is also made with homemade cheese known as “paneer” or “chana”. Instead of being soaked in sugar syrup like Rasgullas, Rasmalai is soaked in sweet, flavored milk.
Makes 12.
Ingredients for Rasmalai Patties:
- 4 cups milk
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 4 1/2 cups water
- Pressure cooker
Ingredients for Milk mixture:
- 3 cups of milk
- 2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar (adjust to your taste)
- 1/8 teaspoon crush cardamom
- 1 tablespoon sliced almonds and pistachios to garnish
Method:
Paneer:
- Mix lemon juice in half a cup of hot water and keep aside.
- Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed over medium-high heat, stirring frequently making sure milk do not burn on the bottom of the pan.
- As the milk comes to a boil, add the lemon juice slowly and stir the milk gently. The curd will start separting from the whey, turn off the heat.
- Once the milk fat has separated from the whey, drain the whey using a strainer line with cheesecloth or muslin cloth.
- Wrap the curd in a muslin cloth, rince under cold water, and squeeze well. This process takes out the sourness from the lemon.
- To take out the excess water squeeze the cloth, or press the wrapped paneer under a heavy pan for about one hour. Taking the right amount of water out of the paneer is the most important part of this recipe.
- To check if enough water is out of the paneer, take a little piece of paneer on your palm and rub with your fingers. After rubbing the paneer for about 15-20 seconds, you should be able to make a firm but smooth ball.
- If the paneer is too dry, add a few drops of water, using the water squeezed from the paneer.
- Once the paneer is drained, place on a dry, clean surface and knead the paneer for 3-4 minutes until the paneer is almost rolls into smooth soft dough.
- Knead the paneer by dragging the palm of your hand hard on the paneer. Keep scooping it back to togather and knead more. Your palm will be little greasy.
Making the Rasmalai:
- Divide the dough into 12 equal parts and roll them in smooth balls.
- To make the balls apply some prassure at the first and then release when forming the balls, lightly press to make about 3/4″ patty shape.
- Mix the sugar and water in a pressure cooker on medium high heat and bring to a boil.
- Add the paneer balls and close the pressure cooker. After the pressure cooker starts steaming, turn the heat to medium and cook for about seven minutes.
- Make sure the cooker is large enough to accommodate the finished rasgullas patties, as they will expand to about double in the volume while cooking in the syrup!
- Close the heat and wait a few minutes befor opening the pressure cooker. Pour cold water over the cooker before opening.
- Take out the patties from the syrup and squeeze them lightly,and keep aside.
- Boil the milk in a frying pan on medium heat until the milk reduce to about 2 cups.
- Make sure to frequently stir the milk as the milk burns easily in bottom of the pan.
- Add the sugar and the Rasmalai patties in milk. Let it cook for few minutes.
- Add the cardamom and mix in. Garnish with sliced almonds and pistachios.
- Serve the Rasmalai chilled.
Thank you so much Mrs. Manjula for your wonderful rasmalai recipe. I made the rasgullas and they turned out perfect and now the balls are simmering in milk for the rasmalai. Yumm!! Your measurements are accurate and there is perfection in your recipe – so thank you once again and keep up the good work!
Dear auntyji,
thank you very much for your fabulous demonstration.I tried your rasagulla recipe a couple of times and it is coming very well.I have one doubt though.
If i am making double the quantity i.e. with 8 cups of milk should i proportionately increase the sugar water content.
I mean should i double water to 9 cups and sugar to 3 cups?
or can i cook in the same syrup twice?
Again thanks a lot for teaching us
regards
vidya
.
Namaste Manjula,
I fell in love in your cooking. Today I made my first dish after your recipe, Ras Malai and it came out perfect. I must admit, yet after secod time I had made paneer, bacause at first time I had burned the milk. Now I am waiting for Ras malai to chill and writing these words to u.
Love
Larisa
P.S. Can not wait for the next recipe!
I haven’t yet tried making Ras Malai. Will try now after watching your video, Manjulaji.Thank you! Have a great 2010!
I love ras malai! I havent made this recipe yet but I was wondering because when I eat it at a restaurant by my house it had like a lavender fragrance to it. Is that something extra that they add or will this recipe be like that also?
namaste auntyji,
i have tried many of your recipes.Its really great.Me and my husband are a big fan of your recipes.I would like to make a suggestion.If we add some saffron to make it even more colourful and delicious.I had tried by adding it.It worked great.Just thought I might share this with everyone.Keep up the good work auntyji.May god bless u.
hi majitha,i never used saffron can u please at which step in rasmalai we should add saffron and how many strands?thanks in advance.
Hey Manjitha, I added the saffron too! It indeed tastes good with it
hello aunty ji. hope you and your family are doing good. i want to thank you for your recipes. These are so easy to make. i am learning a lot from these recipes. thank you once again.
GOOD LUCK.
Dear Aunty, can you please show us how to make habshi sohan halwa (soft). I really like the way you show how to cook. Your recipes are very easy to understand and easy to try at home with most of the simple ingredients.
thank you auntyji.
i never thought rasmalai recipe was easy. it turned out well.
can you add your recipe of hyderabadi zafrani pulav and traditional salads?.
thanks again.
Happy Diwali
Namasthey auntyji
Wish you and your family a Happy Diwali! I tried ras malai recipe today and it came out really well.
Thank you for teaching us,
Vaishnavi