Perfect rasmalai recipe

How to make rasmalai at home

Rasmalai is a popular Indian dessert made from milk preferably full fats cow's milk and dipped into a sweetened semi thicken milk called as rabdi.

To make soft and full of juicy rasmalai at home you need to follow the traditional rasmalai recipe with cow's milk.

Rasmalai recipe can be made from milk powder and bread as well but they are not as tasty and soft as the rasmalai we make by using traditional method.

Rasmalai made from chena, a curdled milk also known as paneer( cottage cheese) is the perfect traditional recipe. It gives you the soft and spongy texture after cooking in sugar syrup.

Here we are going to make rasmalai using this method with step by step.

If you love the recipe of rasmalai then I am sure you would love the recipe of jalebi as well

Steps to make the recipe

Preparation

 Thickened milk

Rasmalai is a dessert which is served cold along with the thicken milk( ras) or rabdi. So we will make the thickened milk first and keep it refrigerated to cool down completely.

You can use any type of milk to make the thickened milk. Toned milk, tetra packed milk can also be used. But for the best result I would recommend to use buffalo milk.

The thickened milk for rasmalai should not be very thick like rabdi. It should be in between thick and thin where the rasmalai can be easily dipped.

First take a heavy bottom pan and add the milk. Heat the milk in high flame stirring constantly for about 8 to 10 minutes.

Add sugar and boil till reduced to half. Then add soaked saffron milk or cardamom powder and boil for 1 to 2 more minutes. Remove from the stove and let it cool down completely. Add some chopped nuts and pistachios.You can refrigerated it as well.

Chena making

Traditional rasmalai are made by using cow's milk. You can use other full fat milk as well. For soft and melt in mouth rasmalai use cow's milk. Use of low fat, skimmed or tetra pack milk results a hard rasmalai. 

To curdle the milk lemon juice or cooking vinegar are used. I prefer to use vinegar as it give a quick result. While pouring the vinegar into the hot milk make sure to mix it with some water.

First to make the chena, take milk in a pot and heat over medium flame heat. Stir continuously while boiling the milk. When the milk comes to one boil, switch off the flame and transfer the milk into another pot or other utensil. This will help to reduce the temperature of the milk.

Wait for 2 minutes and then start to pour the vinegar mix water slowly.

 Stir nicely while pouring the vinegar till the milk get curdled completely. 

If the milk don't get curdled then add some more vinegar. Now stain the chena using a muslin cloth or cheese cloth.

 Rinse under water nicely so that the vinegar flavour goes away and the chena become cool down completely.

Wrap the chena with the cloth and squeeze off  with hands to remove any excess water from it. 

Then hang for 6 to 8 minutes to further drain out water from it.

After that knead the chena nicely to make it soft and grain free. 

Make sure to knead the chena till oil(fats) start to release on the palm of hands. Now stop to knead  further and divide the chena into equal small balls. 

Sugar syrup

To cook rasmalai or other chena products like rasgulla or Angoori you need to make a thin sugar syrup. 

For that mix sugar with enough water and heat over slow flame heat. Stir continuously till the sugar dissolves. 

Increase the flame and cook for 7 to 8 minutes. Take sugar and water in 1 : 4 ratio.

If using organic sugar then there is no need to purify the sugar syrup otherwise you need to add few tablespoon milk with the sugar syrup while cooking.

Milk will get bind with all the impurities and make a layer on the top of sugar syrup. You need to discard that layer to make the sugar syrup clean.

If you don't purify sugar syrup then the impurities get stick to the rasmalai and they become little bit dark.

Remove 1/3 rd of the sugar syrup in a container to soak the rasmalai discs later.  You can add some cardamom powder or pods while making the sugar syrup ( optional). 

Cooking 

Rasmalai or other chena sweets like rasgulla are cooked in light sugar syrup under high flame heat. If you have a high flame gas stove then you can easily cook them. Otherwise use a lit to cover the cooking utensil while cooking them.

Take the chena balls and roll them between the palm of hands to make disc shape rasmalai balls.

Now increase the flame of heat of the sugar syrup. When it start to boil add the chena discs into the sugar syrup.

Lots of sugar syrup bubbles start to form and cover all the discs. This is very important to cook the rasmalai perfectly. Otherwise the rasmalai will become hard.

So you should increase the gas flame to high or cover the utensil to form the bubbles. Cook them for 12 to 15 minutes under this condition. The chena balls will double in size. You can stir then at a regular interval to cook properly.

Keep 1 cup hot water by the side while cooking the rasmalai as the sugar syrup slowly become thick while cooking. In thick sugar syrup the rasmalai won't get cooked and become brownish.

So pour some hot water when the sugar syrup become thick and cook further.

After the said time you can remove one rasmalai discs to check if it is soft and palpable. So when the discs become soft and palpable they are cooked. Pour one cup hot water and lower the gas flame to low.

Then immediately pour one cup cold water and switch off the flame. The rasmalai discs will sink to the bottom of the pan. This is a sign that they are well cooked.

Remove them using a skimmer and transfer into the reserved sugar syrup.  Let them cool down completely for 3 to 4 hours in the sugar syrup.

Dipping

When the rasmalai discs become cooled in sugar syrup, remove them one by one and press between the palm of hands carefully to remove the absorbed sugar syrup.

Dip them directly into the prepared thickened milk and refrigerate to chill completely.

After that garnish them with nuts and serve. From 1000 ml( 1 litre) milk 10 to 12 standard size rasmalai can be made.

Tips to make best and soft rasmalai

• Use full fats milk preferably Cow's milk
• Don't curdled the milk when it is too hot.
• Mix vinegar with water to curdle the milk.
• Cook in high heat flame so that the sugar syrup bubbles cover them.
• Soak them first in sugar syrup to set and then dip into thickened milk.

Angoori rasmalai

Angoori rasmalai is another popular version of rasmalai where soft and spongy tiny round shaped chena balls are dunked in semi thick thickened milk (rabdi).

Method of preparing for Angoori rasmalai is same as rasmalai. The only difference is their shape and size.  Rasmalai are disc shaped whereas Angoori rasmalai are tiny round shaped. The thickened milk for Angoori rasmalai is comparatively thick than rasmalai.

Common questions for this rasmalai

Why is rasmalai so hard?

If you use milk like low fats, toned milk or Tetra pack then the resulting rasmalai will become hard. Cooking under thick sugar syrup also results hard rasmalai.

Why is rasmalai not spongy?

If not using full fats milk to make chena for rasmalai then it won't become spongy. 

Curdling the milk under too much hot temperature may also results hard and not spongy rasmalai.

Not cooking under high heat flame sugar syrup also results a not spongy rasmalai.

Is rasgulla and rasmalai same thing?

No rasgulla and rasmalai are not same thing though both are made from chena. 

Rasgulla are serve with thickened milk called rabdi but rasgulla are served with sugar syrup. 

You can read the recipe of rasgulla to differentiate it better.

How long does rasmalai last?

You can store rasmalai dipped into sugar syrup for more than 15 day in deep freeze. With dipped into thickened milk it can last for 2 to 3 days only.

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Rasmalai recipe

Rasmalai is a popular traditional dessert made by curdled full fats milk. Round discs shaped chena balls are cooked in high flame sugar syrup and soaked into thickened milk (rabdi) with nuts and pistachios. It is a popular Bengali dessert made from cow's milk.

Prep time 30 min, cook time 20 min, serve 3

Author Mobasir hassan

Ingredients

For rasmalai balls

• 1 litre full fat milk (Cow milk)
• 2 tablespoon vinegar (or lemon juice)
• 1 cup water

For sugar syrup

• 2 cup sugar
• 5 to 6 cup water

For thickened milk

• 3 cup milk ( preferably buffalo milk)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Few stands of saffron ( kesar) soaked in warm water or milk.
• 3 to 4 pistachios or almond nuts for garnish

Instructions

Making the thicken milk ( rabdi)

1. Heat the 3 cup milk in a heavy bottom pan or any other utensil in high heat flame. 
2. When the milk comes to boil lower the flame to medium and stir continuously to prevent the milk from scorching at the bottom.
3. Add the sugar after 8 to 10 minutes and continue to boil till the milk reduce to half. 
4. Add the soaked saffron and mix nicely. Remove and let it cool down completely. 

Making chena for rasmalai

1. Heat the one litre milk in a pot. Once the milk start to boil switch off the flame. Transfer the milk in a bowl and wait for 2 minutes.
2. Mix the vinegar with one cup water and start to pour into the milk slowly.
3. The milk will start to curdle. Keep stirring while adding the vinegar water.
4. When the milk curdled completely drain using a cheese cloth or muslin cloth and collect the chena.
5. If the milk does not curdled then add some more vinegar.
6. Rinse the chena under running water to remove the vinegar flavour as well as to cool it down.
7. Now wrap the chena with the cloth and squeeze to remove excess whey and water from it.
8. Otherwise hang it for about 1 hour to remove the excess whey.

Making rasmalai discs or balls

1. Take the chena on a working table or in a bowl and start to knead to make it smooth.
2. When it start to release oil on your palm stop kneading further.
3. Now divide the chena into equal parts. Roll them between the palm of hands and flatten to make disc shape.
4. Make sure there is no cracks in the outer edges of the discs.

Making sugar syrup to cook the rasmalai

1. Mix the 2 cup sugar with 5 - 6 cup of water and start boiling under slow flame heat. Stir continuously till the sugar dissolves.
2. Boil the sugar syrup for 6 to 7 minutes and then remove 1/3 rd of the syrup in a container to use for dipping the rasmalai later.

Making the rasmalai

1. Now increase the flame of gas and add the chena discs into the sugar syrup.
2. Lots of sugar syrup bubbles start to rise and cover all the chena disc. Cook them under these conditions for 12 to 15 minutes till soft and palpable.
3. It is necessary to cook rasmalai or other chena sweets like rasgulla under sugar syrup bubbles.
4. Keep 1 to 2 cup hot water ready by the side while cooking the rasmalai as the sugar syrup become thick while cooking. Pour few tablespoon when it becomes thick. 
5. After the said time remove one rasmalai and check by pressing with finger tips. If it is soft, palpable and spongy then cooked completely. Otherwise cook for some more minutes.
6. Now pour one cup hot water into the sugar syrup and lower the flame.
7. Then again pour one cup cold water and switch off the flame. The rasmalai discs now sink to the bottom of the pan.
8. Remove them with a skimmer and dip into the reserved sugar syrup.
9. Let them cool down completely for 3 to 4 hours. After that remove them one by one and press between the palm of hands to remove the absorbed sugar syrup.
10. Now dip them immediately into the thickened milk and refrigerate to chill completely.
11. Serve them with some nuts and pistachios.

                          Video

Rasmalai recipe video

                          Nutritional value

                          ( serving size 1 piece =80 g)

• Calorie : 180
• Fats : 8 g
• Protein : 9 g
• Carbohydrate : 18 g

                          Recipe notes

• Use organic sugar if possible otherwise purify the sugar syrup as described above.
• For soft and smooth rasmalai, dip them in sugar syrup to set and thereafter soak in rabdi milk.

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