Rasmalai

Ingredients

Chhena

• 2 litreswhole milk
• 3 tbsplemon juice in 3 tbsp water
• ice cubes

Poaching syrup

• 300 gsugar
• 1.2 litreswater

Rabri, the thickened milk

• 1.5 litreswhole milk
• 150 gsugar
• a good pinch of saffron
• 1 tspground cardamom
• 2 tbspmilk powder, optional

To finish

• 50 gpistachios, slivered
• 50 galmonds, slivered
• a few saffron threads

To serve

• well chilled

Directions

1. Make the chhena first, exactly as for rasgulla. Bring the milk to a boil, cool it 2 minutes, then add the diluted lemon juice gradually until it splits. Add the acid a little at a time and stop the moment it separates, because excess acid makes the chhena hard. Throw in a handful of ice to stop the cooking immediately.
2. Strain through muslin, rinse thoroughly under cold water, and hang to drain 30 minutes. Rinse it properly to wash out the acid, and drain it without squeezing it dry. Knead the chhena for 8 to 10 minutes until it is completely smooth and your palm feels slightly oily. Now shape it into small balls and flatten each one gently into a disc about 1 cm thick.
3. Flatten them rather than leaving them round, which is the shape that distinguishes rasmalai and it also lets the milk soak in from both sides. Smooth any cracked edges with a wet finger. Bring the sugar and water to a rolling boil in a wide pot. Drop the discs in, cover, and boil hard for 12 to 15 minutes. Keep it at a rolling boil, not a simmer, which is what makes them spongy rather than dense.
4. Take them off the heat and let them cool in the syrup. Meanwhile make the rabri, which takes longer than everything else. Bring the milk to a boil in a wide heavy pan and then reduce the heat.
5. Simmer it, stirring often and scraping the base and sides, until it has reduced by about half. This takes 40 minutes to an hour and there is no shortcut. Use a wide pan, because the evaporation is the whole exercise. Stir the base regularly, because reducing milk catches and scorches easily and a burnt note ruins the whole pot.
6. Add the sugar, saffron and cardamom in the last 10 minutes. Steep the saffron in a spoonful of warm milk first, which draws out far more colour than adding the threads dry. Simmer them together very gently for 5 minutes. Now cool it and chill it for at least 6 hours, and overnight is better.
7. Serve cold, two discs per person with plenty of the milk, scattered with slivered pistachios and almonds. It should be soft enough to cut with the side of a spoon and heavy with milk.

Technique

• Milk powder stirred into the rabri is a common shortcut to thicken it faster.
• Comilla in Bangladesh and several Indian cities all claim their own style.
• It keeps three days refrigerated and improves for the first two.

Substitutions

• Evaporated milk to shorten the rabri reduction considerably.
• Ready-made rasgulla, squeezed and transferred into rabri.

Variations

• With a saffron-heavy rabri, which is the Bangladeshi style.
• Angoori rasmalai, made very small.
• With mango pulp folded into the milk.

History

Chhena discs in thickened milk; Matri Bhandar of Comilla, founded in 1930, is credited with the Bangladeshi version.

Frequently asked questions

What is Rasmalai?

Rasmalai is a dessert from Bangladesh: flattened cheese dumplings soaked in thickened saffron milk; Cumilla specialty. Chhena discs in thickened milk; Matri Bhandar of Comilla, founded in 1930, is credited with the Bangladeshi version.

How long does Rasmalai take to make?

Rasmalai takes 40 min of preparation and 1 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 12 pieces. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Rasmalai?

Yes, within limits. Evaporated milk to shorten the rabri reduction considerably. Ready-made rasgulla, squeezed and transferred into rabri.

What is the most important thing to get right in Rasmalai?

Flatten them rather than leaving them round, which is the shape that distinguishes rasmalai and it also lets the milk soak in from both sides. Smooth any cracked edges with a wet finger. Bring the sugar and water to a rolling boil in a wide pot. Drop the discs in, cover, and boil hard for 12 to 15 minutes. Keep it at a rolling boil, not a simmer, which is what makes them spongy rather than dense.