Rasmalai (Cottage Cheese Disc In Flavored Milk)

Rasmalai (Cottage Cheese Disc In Flavored Milk) is traditional Indian sweet from the state of Bengal and is made with the soft cottage cheese disc that is first soaked in sugar syrup and then in sweet and thick milk that is flavored with saffron and cardamom. It is served chilled with chopped nuts. The rasmalai is a popular gluten free Indian sweet served in weddings, birthday parties or enjoyed during festivals such as Diwali, Janmasthami, Durgaasthami or Holi.

Course Dessert, glutenfree, sweet

Cuisine Bengali, Indian

Keyword almondmilk, bengalisweet, chenna, dessert, glutenfree, indiansweet, kidsfavorite, paneer, rasmalai, traditional

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Servings rasmalai

Calories 191kcal

Equipment

pot
bowl
strainer
soft cotton cloth
flat plate
pot with lid
spatula
spoon
slotted spatula

Ingredients

To make chenna, knead and make flat disc

2 l full fat milk
2.5 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp saffron powder optional, or use yellow food colour. (I wanted saffron colour chenna disc and hence have used saffro colour)
2 tsp cornflour Use arrowroot if making for vraat / upwaas / fasting
4 cup water
1/2 tsp ghee to grease the palms

Making Sugar Syrup and soaking chenna flat disc in it

2 l water
2 cup sugar I have used raw sugar. It makes the chenna disc brownish in colour. (for bright colour use white sugar)
4 cardamom pods

Making Flavored Milk and soaking prepared chenna disc

2 l full fat milk
3/4 cup sugar I have used raw sugar. You can use white sugar and adjust the amount of sugar as per the sweetness desired.
1 tsp cardamom powder
5 pistachio blanched, peeled and sliced
5 almond blanched, peeled and sliced
7 pistachio slivered
7 almond slivered
few saffron strands for garnishing, optional
1/2 tsp cardamom powder for ganishing

Instructions

To make chenna, knead and make flat disc

Put water in a heavy bottom pot.
Add milk in it and bring it to boil on medium heat. Stir in between to prevent sticking at the bottom.
After 7-8 minutes milk will come to a boil.
Remove the pot from the heat and keep aside for a couple of minutes. Then gradually add lemon juice to it and mix.
The milk has start to curdled.
Wait for further 5 minutes till the entire milk is curdled well..
Now place the soft cotton cloth or muslin cloth on the strainer in a bowl. Drain the curdled milk in it. Keep aside the strained liquid. It is whey and is very nutritious. Use it to knead the dough, or make soup, kadhi or dal. Put the strainer with cheese cloth in another bowl and pour 2-3 cup of fresh water on it to remove the sourness of the lemon.
Spread with hands and wash with the fresh water.
Now brings the edges of the cloth together and squeeze out the excess liquid from it.
Squeeze tightly and place on the strainer with the bowl and keep it aside for 30 minutes to remove the excess liquid. (In the meantime prepare sugar syrup as shown belown in the instructions)
After 30 minutes, open the cloth, the excess liquid is removed and chenna is ready.
Remove the chenna in a flat plate and crumble it with hands
Now with the help of your palm press and knead the chenna for 10 minutes till it is smooth.
Add saffron powder or yellow colour. (If you want to keep rasmalai white do not add saffron powder or yellow colour). Add cornflour..
Mix well and knead it till the powder is mixed well.
The kneaded chenna will come together and looks like dough.
Divide the dough into three parts and make log from it and cut all the logs into equal parts as shown.
Take a one part and roll into a smooth ball between your palms. (Use ghee to grease your palms)
Flatten the roll chenna ball by pressing between palms.
Similarly make the remaining chenna disc.

Making Sugar Syrup and soaking chenna flat disc in it

Take sugar, cardamom pods, and water in a heavy bottom pot. Mix well.
Keep on high heat to boil. Stir in between.
The mixture will start to boil after 7-8 minutes. Let it boil for further 10 minutes. The sugar syrup is ready.
Now put the prepared chenna disc in batches. (I have put 10 chenna disc at one time).
Cover and cook for 15 minutes on high heat.
After 15 minutes the chenna disc will rise in size.
Lower the heat and remove the cooked chenna disc in a plate.
Similarly put the remaining chenna disc in sugar syrup and cook.
Now put all the cooked chenna disc in the sugar syrup and cover and keep aside for 2-3 hours till it will absorb the sugar syrup.

Making Flavored Milk and soaking prepared chenna disc

Put water in a heavy and broad bottom pot.
Add milk in it and bring it to boil on medium heat. Stir in between to prevent sticking at the bottom.
The milk will come to a boil after 7-8 minutes. Now put the heat to high and boil the milk stirring in between. Add saffron strands.
Mix well and boil the milk for 10 minutes on high heat stirring in between.
Scrape the cream on the edges of the vessel in between with the spatula. Boil the milk further for 5 minutes on high heat.
Once the milk is boiled and reduced to half add sugar. (I have added raw sugar. You can add white sugar and also adjust the amount of sugar as per your taste).
Add the blanched and sliced almonds and pistachios.
Add cardamom powder. Mix well.
Boil for 5 minutes more on high heat stirring the milk and scraping the cream in between.
Switch off the heat. The flavored milk for rasmalai is ready. Keep it aside to cool. Stir with a spoon to avoid the formation of the layer of the cream on it. Cool the milk completely.
Now take the rasmalai that is soaked in the sugar syrup.
Take one soaked chenna disc between your palms.
Press and squeeze the sugar syrup from it.
Place it in a flat deep bowl. Similary squeeze the remaining chenna disc and arrange in the bowl.
Pour the prepared flavored milk over the chenna disc. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours. The rasmalai is ready to server.
Remove gently the rasmalai in the serving bowl. Garnish with slivered almonds , pistachio and saffron and serve. The remaining rasmalai can be refrigerated for 3-4 days.

Nutrition