What is rasmalai
Soft cottage cheese balls soaked in rich flavored milk. Royal Indian dessert is super easy to make if we follow tips and tricks.
Why evaporated milk for ras?
traditionally rabdi is prepared by boiling milk for hours together, milk gets evaporated and thickened. Instead of making homemade evaporated milk to save time I have used store-bought evaporated milk.
Milk for cottage cheese
Always use Whole fat cow’s milk for the best soft , spongy, juicy, and cushiony chena. I would recommend boiling the milk on the stovetop. Avoid microwaving. Frothy boil with malai gives the best chenna
Keep cloth ready
Always keep the muslin cloth or thin towel ready. Use white ones and avoid the cloth/towel with the pattern. If you are using thin muslin cloth use three-layer or based on the cloth you use. Make sure it is thick enough to hold the cottage cheese at the same time has enough pores to drip the whey completely.
Rest a few minutes then curdle
Curdling milk when it is piping hot might result in chewy and rubbery chenna which might end up with rubbery and chewy Rasmalai. I rested for 8 minutes time might slightly vary based on your weather. The milk should be hot but we should be able to handle the hot milk with our hands. Watch out and be the right judge.
Acidic Agent
I have tried using vinegar and lemon juice. I would recommend and prefer using Vinegar based on my personal experience.
Why should we use water and vinegar mix?
If you add just vinegar, cottage cheese balls might have an aftertaste. Always mix an equal amount of water and vinegar.
How do we know if we added the right amount of vinegar water mix
Straining the milk too early might not give soft Rasmalai. Always add vinegar+ and water mix till the whey separated completely. Water turning pale green color is a clear indication. Mix well after each addition
Can I skip adding ice
Ice is totally optional but adding ice helps for soft paneer. Add ice immediately after the whey is completely separated in that case chenna won’t become hard and dense/
Avoid keeping paneer in whey for longtime
Rasmalai might turn chewy if you leave paneer in whey for a long time. Act quick. transfer it to muslin cloth right after adding
Squeeze and keep a heavyweight
Squeeze the cloth well till the water stops dripping. It is very important else the paneer might turn a paste-like texture and won’t turn crumbly. squeeze well then place it under a stone mortar pestle or some heavy object- perfect malai. You can hang the paneer too but that might take extra time.
How to know if the cottage cheese is drained right
If you try to break a piece it should easily work with a chip (chuck ) sound. Not sticky. If whey is not drained well then ras malai might break while boiling.
Should I pulse the cottage cheese?
Pulsing is optional but it is very helpful. Avoid grinding. grinding might make paneer rubbery. Pulse twice avoid pulsing for a long time
Knead well with your palms
Use your palms and knead. don’t press it too hard else ras malai balls might turn dry. Knead well till it turns into a soft non-sticky crack-free dough.
Make crack-free cottage cheese disc
Gently knead and make small crack-free cottage cheese balls. If flattened ras malai has cracks, it might break in the boiling sugar water.
Always keep paneer covered
Keeping the paneer covered is very important else it might impact dry ras malai. While working on one paneer covered the rest with the towel we used for collecting the chenna.
Make it small and flat
Cooked paneer will double the size so remember it while making cottage cheese discs. Flatten small ras malai. Make sure it is not so thick. if you notice crack, knead and make it crack-free
1:4 sugar-to-water ratio
The sugar water shouldn’t form a string consistency. A 1:4 sugar-to-water ratio works best. Since we added enough sugar in malai this sugar is enough for the sweetness
Always use a wide and slightly deep pan
The pan plays a crucial role. Always use a wide pan so that we have ample room to cook paneer. Avoid too deep pan
Bring to a boil then add the paneer balls
Make sure the sugar water is boiling well then add paneer balls. Avoid adding all paneer balls at once. Adding one by one will help to fix it if it disintegrates and also to maintain optimal water temperature. Also, make sure the water is boiling whenever you add paneer. If the paneer is not cooked properly it might turn dense.
How to avoid paneer ras malai from breaking
✔️Drain the whey well. Hang for sufficient time. It should be moist but not wet ✔️Keep the paneer balls covered all the time ✔️Shape crack-free paneer balls ✔️Cover and cook the paneer balls. avoid over cooking
Warm malai for best soaking
Warm milk helps for perfect soaking. If you prefer rabdi milk first. Warm it before adding. Let it cool then refrigerate.
can I double the recipe
yes but if you are trying this Indian dessert for the first time I would recommend this quantity. master the sweet then make it double
Ingredients
Rabdi
Rasmalai
750 ml whole milk
Vinegar water mix
1/2 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon + 1/2 tablespoon Water refer notes 1 tablespoon + 1/2 tablespoon + 1/2 tablespoon vinegar refer notes
Sugar Syrup
3/4 cup sugar 3 cups water
How to make ras malai with step-by-step pictures
Curdle milk
First, add milk to a deep heavy bottomed pan
Bring the milk to a rolling boil on a medium flame
turn off the stove and keep it aside
Vinegar + water
combine 1 + 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar with 1+1/2 tablespoon of water; mix well and keep aside
add 1/2 tablespoon of water and 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar in a separate bowl; mix well and keep aside. We might use it this. Based on the milk
Keep them ready
place layers of muslin cloth or cheesecloth or white towel on a wide deep bowl
take ice cubes in a bowl and keep them around
Prepare chenna
Take a small portion of milk in hand; hot enough to handle? Then proceed with curdling
Add 3 tablespoon of vinegar + water mix little by little; mix well in between. after a few additions, we can notice the paneer and whey starts to separate
Keep on adding and mixing until you notice clear separation; the indication of this is when the milk turns green in color
if after adding 3 tablespoon of vinegar + water mix it didn’t happen using the 1 tablespoon vinegar + water mix we prepared
when whey and paneer are separated add the ice cubes or ice water immediately
immediately transfer to the muslin cloth
The paneer would get collected in the muslin cloth. collect whey in the bowl
Gather the ends of the muslin cloth and squeeze well to release all the excess water. Make sure the water is squeezed else ras might become rubbery/chewy
Cover and place the muslin cloth keep a heavy object on top and rest for 10 minutes. if you are hanging out, then it might take around 20 minutes
to roll and flatten paneer
Take out the chenna. If you try to break it, you will notice the chip sound. It is moist but not wet
transfer to a mixie jar and pulse two times. Avoid grinding
transfer to a plate
use your palm and knead for 8 mins. Avoid applying pressure
divide the dough into equal parts and keep them covered all time
gently roll the balls and flatten them. Make sure they are crack free. If you notice cracks, press again and roll
Keep them all covered in the same muslin cloth till we add to the sugar syrup
Sugar Syrup
Add sugar and water to a wide and deep pan
Let the sugar melt and come to boil
add flattened cottage cheese one by one. Watch out for disintegration and make sure the sugar water is rolling boil
After adding the entire batch, cover it with the lid and allow it to cook for 10 mins on medium high flame
simmer to low- medium flame, and cook for 3 minutes
it would have doubled its size turn off the stove and cool for 15 minutes. keep it covered
carefully take them one by one, place them on a ladle
squeeze excess syrup by gently pressing with another ladle; transfer to a serving bowl
repeat for the entire batch
Ras malai
add warm rabdi and let it cool at temperature then refrigerate at least for 2 hours
serve cold with nuts, dried rose, or topping of your choice
