Rasmalai is a Majestic Royal Indian dessert that would grace any occasion and be the star of the PARTY!!!

Originating from the eastern regions of the Indian subcontinent, Rasmalai also known as Rossomalai or Roshmolai (in Bengali), literally translates to Ras meaning Juice (Milk in here) and Malai meaning the flattened cheese balls dunked in the milk.

If you ask me???? I don’t like sweet dishes much, maybe while growing my tastes got changed. but during my teens I was crazy about many sweet dishes, maybe I was born in old Delhi, which is yet another place for most of the kinds of sweet dishes made of ghee(clarified butter). But it’s not that I don’t like sweet dishes. there are still left some on my bucket list of sweet dishes which I cannot deny even if I am sleeping.

Rasmalai is yet another one of my favorite sweets. This Bengali specialty is made with roshogulla (sweetened balls of cottage cheese) soaked in sweetened, thick milk that has been infused with cardamom and saffron.

And the result is in front of you! SOFT TENDERED, CREAMY, DREAMY DESSERT that melts in your mouth.

Before we jump on the recipe.

Let’s know a bit about RASMALAI

HISTORY OF RASMALAI

It’s an Indian classic dessert, made with two words “ras” and “malai”. In India “ras” means juicy and “malai” means the cream of milk.

That’s why it’s called Rasmalai.

It is made of two components, the soft flattened, and sweetened rasmalai balls and the sweetened thickened milk called ras also known as Rabdi or rabri.

The rasmalai balls are made by curdling the milk with vinegar or lemon juice to make “chenna” or “paneer” (milk solids separated from whey).

This drained paneer is then shaped into flat round balls and cooked in sugar syrup. They puff and expand on soaking the liquid.

These chenna balls in sugar syrup on their own are a delicacy called Rasgulla.

To make the Ras (thickened milk), boil the milk until it’s almost half, and then sweeten it with sugar and flavour with cardamom powder and 4-5 strands of saffron.

The saffron in addition to flavor gives a fantastic yellow color to the milk. It’s such a member of the sweets family that without this, I cannot think of Indian sweet dishes being complete. Its origin is KASHMIR, the northernmost other heavens on the earth yet a disputed part of India. I visited this place this year 2022 on my marriage anniversary and got a bottle of it. 

You can see that too in the picture. 

The juicy cottage cheese balls are squeezed and dunked into the warm milk. They soak up the ras and turn melt in the mouth soft and delicious!!

Rasmalai is further garnished with nuts for that added texture and crunch. I also like to add dry rose petals for that added depth of flavour. Though I didn’t add the dry rose petals leaves as they were not available then.

The ras or rabdi on its own is another delicacy so basically, we are combining two.

Rasmalai is further garnished with nuts for that added texture and crunch. I also like to add dry rose petals for that added depth of flavor.

The ras or rabdi on its own is another delicacy so basically, we are combining two desserts to make one! Now that ought to be double delicious right!!

No wonder it’s served for special occasions, festivals, and celebrations, and from local sweet shops to high-end restaurants.

Let’s take a look at its ingredients

YOU NEED………..

• Milk – use whole full-fat milk for best results. Low fat or skim milk will not work well.

• Vinegar or lemon juice – for curdling the milk

• Sugar and water – for the sugar syrup

For the thickened milk (ras)

• Milk – use full-fat whole milk or evaporated milk for cutting time

• Flavour – cardamom powder and saffron. Saffron along with flavour adds great colour too so use good quality and a generous pinch. Rosewater can be used too.

• Sweetener – Sugar or condensed milk for a richer flavour. I prefer using a 50:50 ration for the best flavour

• Nuts – Sliced almonds and pistachios. dry rose petals add a nice subtle flavour and make such a great garnish

PREPARATION

For making cottage cheese balls, we need to make homemade cottage cheese. This recipe I shared in my blog, you guys can see that step-by-step making by clicking on the link.

Note: We are looking for a chenna that is soft with no dripping water. We don’t want it to be completely dry but not too wet either. 

Once you took out the cottage cheese Open the knot and transfer the block of paneer to a plate or bowl.

• Crumble and knead with your palms for about 5-7 mins until it forms a smooth dough. 

Do not over-knead.

• It will turn from crumby grainy to smooth and lump up on one side. Remove onto a clean plate. The cottage cheese is ready when it is smooth and soft and does not stick to your hand.

HACK:

I used 1 used one spoon of all-purpose flour while kneading the cottage cheese 

• Divide into 10 portions, roll into balls apply some pressure to knead them into a smooth ball, and flatten them slightly to shape.

• Similarly, make all the balls. They should be smooth without cracks. Fill in any cracks you may see. Keep aside. 

• Add these chenna balls gently to it and close the lid. Add only as much the pan can hold since the balls will expand. Do it in batches if required.

• Let these boil on high for 10 mins and you will see they absorb the liquid and expand in size.

• Turn off the heat and allow them to rest in the syrup for 30 mins. Remove them and let them cool. Keep covered.

• In a thick bottom non-stick vessel, get milk to a boil stirring in between to avoid sticking to the pan.

• Take 2 tablespoons of boiled milk and add it to another bowl with saffron threads, mix well and allow the saffron to soak.

• Lower the heat and simmer the milk, stirring intermittently. Keep scraping the sides and layer of cream (malai) that is formed over the milk.

• Mix it back into the milk and repeat this process until the milk has reduced and thickened (almost half).

• The scraped cream (malai) mixed in milk adds a lot of texture to the milk so don’t miss that. It’s my favourite part of Rabdi.

• Add the saffron mixed in warm milk along with sugar cardamom powder and nuts and simmer for another 5 mins. The milk will turn yellow due to the saffron addition. Turn the heat off at this point.

• Squeeze the balls gently between your palms or use the spatula as shown to drain the liquid without breaking them

• Add them to this warm thickened milk and allow the balls to soak up.

• Cool completely, garnished with more nuts and dry rose petals, and keep refrigerated until ready to serve. 

TAN -TA – NAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!

RASMALAI IS READY TO BE SERVED!!!!!

STORING TIPS

Rasmalai tastes best when served chilled. So allow it to come to room temperature and then store refrigerated for up to a 2-3days in an airtight container.

For longer use freeze it for up to 1 month. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and mix well before serving. You can also microwave it for a few seconds if you prefer it warm.

Then garnish with some more dry fruits and dry rose petals (optional) and serve chilled

HACKS TO MAKE SOFT AND TENDER BALLS

• Do not over-knead it

• Add some purpose flour to make it steady while boiling

• While boiling milk scratch the thick layer and mix it in the milk back while boiling.

• Use fat whole milk for best results

• When drained chenna after making, thoroughly wash it with water

• Remove the seeds of lemon while making chenna.

• Once the milk has curdled, add ice cubes or cold water to stop the cooking process. This is important to keep the chenna soft. Overcooking will result in hard chenna

•  Knead the drained chenna at least for 5-7 mins or till it turns smooth and crumb-free (not grainy)

• Maintain the water-to-sugar ratio for sugar syrup. It should be more on the watery side vs thicker consistency. Add the balls only once sugar syrup has boiled

•  Squeeze the sugar syrup out as much as possible without breaking the balls. That creates spaces or a vacuum in these spongy balls and when immersed in warm liquid they absorb the ras and become soft and delicious!!

NUTRITIONAL VALUE

One piece of rasmalai holds 331 calories

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on INSTAGRAM with the hashtag #sweeetchillies 

Leave a comment below:

Your comments make my day. Thank you! If you have a question, please skim the comments section—you might find an immediate answer there. If you made the recipe, please choose a star rating, too.

“This content is monitored by Scrrum Labs. For any complaints, please write to us at [email protected]“

Deliciousness jumping into the mouth.