Rasmalais

Last weekend I had a catering order for Rasmalais. I was glad I had an excuse to make these yummy beauties and the best part is that, this is the only sweet my hubby will lay his hands on…all the others are frowned upon. So it was a good chance for me to ‘woo’ him with these cold, melt-in-the mouth Rasmalais. ;)

You will need: (Makes 22-24)

8 Cups Whole Milk

1/3 cup Lime/Lemon juice or Vinegar

4 Cups Water

1 ½ Cups Sugar

For the Ras:

4 cups Milk

½ cup Sugar

1/8 tsp Lemon Yellow food colour

¼ tsp Cardamom powder

Sliced Pistachios and Almonds

Bring milk to a boil on medium heat. When it comes to a boil, stir in the lemon juice or vinegar. Stir till the milk curdles and the whey is separated. Let sit for 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Line a colander with a double layer of cheesecloth and drain. Immediately rinse under cold water to remove the citric taste.

Squeeze out as much water as possible, tie in a knot and let sit in the colander for 20-30 minutes. The less water the better.

Once the water has been drained completely, remove the soft paneer from the cloth onto a smooth clean kneading surface. At this stage the paneer will be crumbly and will not hold shape.

Begin to knead gently, and continue to do so until the entire mass comes together into a ball. At this stage, as you knead, your palms should become greasy.

Pinch off a small piece and roll into a ball. If the ball holds shape then your paneer is ready to be used in the next stage.

Bring water and sugar to a rolling boil in a clean pressure cooker. Divide the paneer into 22-24 pieces and roll into a smooth ball.

If the ball breaks apart, knead and then roll into a ball. Slightly flatten the ball for Rasmalais.

Drop these balls into the boiling sugar syrup one at a time. These balls will double in size when done, so make sure there is enough room in your pressure cooker. Do them in two batches to avoid crowding. Close lid and turn heat to high. Place weight on lid and after one whistle, turn heat to low and cook for 7 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool completely before you handle the Rasmalai patties. Once cooled, refrigerate overnight. I prefer to do this so that the patties will hold well in the milk instead of breaking up.

Bring the 4 cups of milk to a boil on low heat, stir continuously to avoid burning.Stir in the sugar and cardamom powder. Also add the food colouring. The 4 cups of milk have to be reduced to around 2 ½ - 3 cups, this takes around 25-30 minutes. Yup takes time but well worth the wait. Squeeze out excess syrup from the patties and drop them in the milk once it has thickened. Let the patties boil for 3-4 minutes in the milk. Turn off heat. Transfer carefully to a container and refrigerate for 4-6 hours or more. Garnish with slice pistachios and almonds before serving.

I made around 50 of these last weekend, was a good experience! :) I didn't have time to take individual pics, hence these in a foil tray ready for pick up.