Mmmmm rasmalai

from 2010-01 Sydney (1)

Seekingsensationalskin

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out the antique silver bowls….

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One of my favourite memories from my wedding ever, served in beautiful antique silver bowls. It is my all-time favourite Indian mithai, and so of course my big event would not have been complete without it.

My folks made sure that my second favourite mithaikaju burfi - was also at hand at every major ritual, so we ate lots of it every time we complied with the “muh meetha karo” command. We didn’t know then, that my poor bridegroom has never been able to handle kaju burfi well, and so by the end of it all he had quite a sore throat. (It was really his delicate NRI-insides that were rebelling against the desi hawa-paani, but I’ve always let him believe it was the burfi).

But my love for rasmalai, the bridegroom continues to share with me to this day. On special occasions, a few times a year, we indulge – and if I had them, I would surely bring

I wish I had an equally happy story to tell my readers, about my attempts at making rasmalai. I have tried, and I have failed, every time – including once when I started making it foolishly late one night after a particularly hectic week at work. I thought it would cheer me up, as cooking usually does, but I ended up with aching arms with all that kneading of paneer. It put me off making rasmalai, and I did not even try it when a friend emailed me a no-knead recipe a couple of years ago.

Why knead, when Maya Sweets can meet all your mithai needs, I reckoned.

An eastern Indian dessert, rasmalai is essentially cheese dumplings soaked in a sweet and creamy sauce. Traditionally, it is made with sweetened paneer which is kneaded till smooth and then immersed in the ‘ras’ (cream sauce) – milk which is reduced to half its quantity by repeated boiling, and then sweetened.

Many variations of this delicious concoction have been tried, such as Angoori rasmalai (where the paneer balls are the size of grapes), or Mango rasmalai where mango puree is added to the cream sauce and the whole dessert is served with fresh mango slices.

(Squeeze out the juice gently from the rasgollas so as not to ruin the shape). Or using canned condensed milk to make the ‘ras’. Mix half a can with a cup and a half of whole milk, and heat gently.

Hey, how about canned rasgollas and condensed milk together?!

But if you want to be less sloppy than that, try this technique. I haven’t myself tried this one, but you might be more adventurous. Mix 50 gms of whole milk powder with about half a teaspoon of baking powder. Wet your palms with beaten egg and make a dough out of the milk powder (do not pour the beaten egg on to the milk powder). Then make tiny balls out of the dough – marble sized. Meanwhile boil milk and cream together and reduce; add sugar, saffron and the regular condiments. Introduce the milk powder balls gently and watch them grow. Cool and decorate with nuts.

Only hours ago, as I polished off some amazingly good rasmalai this time from Blacktown’s Singh da Dhaba, I found courage again to try making some. I’ve brought out my friend Anuradha Kelkar’s “new age” recipe for rasmalai to share with you this issue.

Bake it!

500 gms ricotta cheese

250 ml milk

250 ml thickened cream

1 ¼ cup sugar

Pinch saffron

½ tsp rose water

Meanwhile, quickfix cooks will give you ‘jhatpat’ versions that they swear by, such as buying a can of readymade rasgollas and using them with home made ‘ras’.

I’m going to go one up on her and use my slow cooker to make the cream sauce …

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And while the sales are still on, do you know where I can get some antique silver bowls?

¼ tsp coarsely crushed cardamom seeds

4 tsp blanched and slivered almonds

2 tbsp coarsely crushed pistachios

To make the cream sauce, put cream and milk into a heavy bottomed pan and heat on medium flame. Simmer till it all thickens somewhat. Then add 1 cup of sugar and saffron dissolved in a little warm milk. Dissolve and then turn the heat off. Check for sweetness.

To make the sweet cheese dumplings, mix the remaining sugar with the ricotta cheese. Use a hand held mixer if you like, or just knead gently with your hands. Check for sweetness and add more sugar if you feel it needs it. Grease a muffin pan and put 2 tablespoonfuls of cheese mixture in each cup. Smoothen tops with a spoon or press down gently with the base of a glass. Bake in a preheated 180-degree oven till it sets, about 35-40 minutes. Insert a toothpick to check – it will be done if it comes out clean. Cool, and then gently take dumplings out.

Place in a flat bowl. Pour the cream sauce over, add rose water, and decorate with pistachios and almonds. Let sit for about 2-3 hours, in the refrigerator, so the dumplings soak in the ‘ras’.

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