Rasmalai

Rasmalai is a very popular traditional and decadent sweet that is loved all over India. It is soft, creamy, and full of rich flavours. The word “Rasmalai” comes from two words – “ras” meaning juice and “malai” meaning cream. This delicious dessert is made of soft paneer balls discs soaked in thick, sweet, saffron-flavored milk. It is often served during festivals like Durga Puja, Diwali, and weddings, and is one of the most loved Indian desserts.

Traditionally, rasmalai is made from fresh homemade paneer (chenna). To make it the traditional way, milk (about 2 litres of full fat milk ) is boiled and curdled using lemon juice or vinegar to make soft chenna. The chenna is then kneaded, shaped into small discs, and cooked in sugar syrup before being soaked in thickened milk called rabri.

In my version of the recipe, I have used readymade paneer instead of making it from scratch. This makes the process much quicker and easier, especially if you are short on time. Even with readymade paneer, you can still make soft and spongy rasmalai by following a few simple tips.

The main ingredients for rasmalai are milk, sugar, paneer, saffron, cardamom, and nuts like almonds and pistachios. The milk is boiled and reduced until it becomes thick and creamy. Saffron gives it a lovely yellow color, and cardamom adds a warm, sweet smell. Chopped nuts make the dessert look beautiful and add a bit of crunch.

Using full-fat milk is very important because it makes the rabri rich and creamy. Low-fat milk won’t give the same taste or texture.

Tips to Make Soft and Spongy Rasmalai

• Choose soft paneer – If you are using readymade paneer, make sure it is fresh and soft. Hard paneer will not absorb the syrup properly.

• Boil the paneer balls well – When cooking the paneer in sugar syrup, let them boil until they double in size. This helps them become light and spongy.Gently flip and cook on both sides.

• Squeeze gently – After boiling, press the paneer discs lightly to remove extra syrup before putting them into the rabri.

• Reduce the milk slowly – Cook the milk on low flame so it becomes thick and creamy without burning.

• Chill before serving – Rasmalai tastes best when it is cold. Let it rest in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

This easy Bengali rasmalai recipe is perfect for anyone who wants to make a quick and delicious Indian dessert. The soft paneer soaked in sweet saffron milk tastes heavenly in every bite. Even though I used readymade paneer, the result was just as creamy and flavorful as the traditional version.

Serve it chilled after lunch or dinner, or prepare it for special occasions to impress your guests. Once you make this simple homemade rasmalai, it’s sure to become one of your favorite sweets!Check out the recipe below.

Ingredients 

For Rabri

Full fat Milk-1 litre

Sugar -1/2-3/4 cup

Chopped nuts (pista,badam, cashews)-1/4 cup-1/2 cup

Cardamom powder/4 tsp

Saffron-15-20 strings (soaked in hot water or milk for 30 minutes )

For Peda-

Grated paneer -250gms

For Sugar Syrup-

Sugar-1 cup

Water-3 &1/2 cups

Recipe Video 

Method

For Rabri

✍️Boil full fat milk in heavy bottom kadai or vessel add sugar,chopped nuts, saffron strings and cardamom powder mix well.

✍️Keep stirring continuously in slow flame and allow the milk to thicken to 3/4 quantity. Remove from fire cool completely and transfer to a big bowl and refrigerate until use.

For Peda

✍️Knead the grated paneer well with the base of your palms for about 2-4 minutes until you get a soft dough like mixture.Roll them into small lemon sized balls and gently flatten them to disc shape or pedas without any cracks. Peda is ready ,set aside.

For Sugar Syrup 

✍️Dissolve 1 cup sugar in 3 & 1/2 cups of water and boil well until it bubbles rapidly.

For Making Rasmalai 

✍️Gently drop the pedas one by one and cook covered in the sugar syrup in medium flame for 15 minutes until the pedas double in size, occasionally stirring and flipping the pedas in-between gently .Then switch off the gas and set aside as such without disturbing for another 15  minutes.

✍️Now remove the pedas one by one and gently press between two ladles to remove extra sugar syrup .

✍️You can either transfer the cooked pedas after draining the syrup to cool water  in a bowl , rest it for 5 minutes and then transfer to chilled rabri or directly transfer to the chilled rabri.

✍️Refrigerate overnight. 

✍️Serve and enjoy the next day 😋😀

Total Preparation Time-45 minutes 

Yield -13 rasmalai for 250 gms of paneer