Rasmalai

And this marks are first ever dessert recipe blog and we start with our all-time super favourite - RasMalai. We were itching to experiment with some Indian dessert and thought will try something only moderately difficult to start with. 

There is something about this sweet that never goes out of fashion. Its perhaps the simplicity which keeps you attached. The melt in your mouth softness of the 'malai' balls soaked in not-too-sweet and subtly flavoured ras. Just mesmerizing, every single time.

This takes a bit of patience to make but is not difficult and chances of it going completely wrong are very less. So do try this in the festival season to lend the love of your kitchen to your guests.

Ingredients: (Serves 6-8)

3 litres milk (full cream)

1 tbsp Lemon juice

1/3 tsp cardamom powder

5-6 cardamom

10-15 strands of Saffron

1 ½ cups of Sugar

15 soaked pistachios

Method:

For Malai Balls

1. Boil 1.5 l of milk and bring to boil. Add lemon Juice to it till Paneer curdles out

2. Strain the mix and wash paneer / malai under running cold water to stop the cooking process and also to remove the taste of lemon

3. Hang it in muslin cloth to remove excess water. For only about 10 - 15 minutes to ensure it doesn't become too dry

4. Grind paneer in a food processor. You may knead it but grinding it helps to make paneer really soft

5. Make small balls (ping pong sized) and flatten them from the top (you’ll make roughly 18-20 balls)

6. Now in a pressure cooker, add 5 cups water and 1 cup sugar and cardamoms.

7.  Add paneer balls to it, one by one. Add not more than 10 balls in a medium pressure cooker as it need space to become fluffy

8. Heat on high till 1^st whistle and then turn the gas off. After, 5 mins exactly, pour cold water to open the cooker

9. Take out malai using ladle and keep it in separate plate. Its just too tempting to not eat one. This are almost like flat rasgullas.

For Ras

1. Boil 2l milk in a heavy bottom pan and bring to boil

2. Add saffron to it and let it reduce on low gas for sometime till it reduces by 3/4^th of quantity. You have to make sure that the milk doesn't burn and doesn't curdle.

3. Let's say it as clearly as possible people - Keep stirring it continuously :)

4. Add cardamom powder and sugar as per taste in the end.

Assemble

Carefully drop the malai balls into the ras. Garnish with pistachios and keep it refrigerator to cool down.

Serve cold.