Rasmalai
Ras meaning juice and malai means cream, this dessert is originated from the eastern region of Indian subcontinents. Bengalies like to call it Roshomalai. Rasmalai has always been one of my favorite desserts, even when I didn’t have a sweet tooth. For me, the creamy milk needs to be the right consistency, not too thick or too thin. The fresh cheese dumplings need to be soft and airy. There are multiple steps involved, and it may feel like a lot of work, but it will be worth it at the end when you take that first bite. I hope you will try this Rasmalai recipe for Diwali.
KEY Components of Rasmalai
The two key components of Rasmalai / Roshmalai are the fresh cheese dumpling known as chhena and the flavored milk. Getting the texture of the Chhena pillowy soft is a skill, one that you can perfect only with practice. I am telling you this from my own experience. Once you get that right, making Rosogolla and Rasmalai will feel effortless.
Tips to make super soft Chhena
Shaping and Cooking the Rasmalai
Once your chhena dough is ready, you divide the dough into small dumplings. Keep in mind that these will fluff up and double in size on cooking. So you need to shape these tiny. Traditionally, Rasmalai are shaped like a flat disc. Take a dumpling and roll it around in your hand to shape it into a ball. Then gently press it to flatten it. Once you are done shaping the Rasmalai, you cook it in sugar syrup. Keep in mind when choosing the cookware as these needs space to fluff up. The cooked chhena needs to be cooled down to room temperature before you squeeze the excess syrup out of it and place it in the flavored milk.
The Malai (Flavored Milk)
The key step to making the perfect malai is to make sure you do not cook the whole milk for too long. If it gets thicker than the cooked chhena disc will not be able to soak the milk. You cook the whole milk with nuts and spices for just 15 minutes. Rasmalai is hard to pass, it’s so tempting and if prepared the right way, every bite will bring a smile in your face. The chhena disc should melt in your mouth and the milk should be flavorful creamy and so flavorful.
