Soft & Spongy Rasmalai Recipe (With Chenna)
Learn how to make soft and spongy bengali rasmalai using fresh made chenna in this post. Lots of tips, tricks and stepwise photos inclued.
Ingredients
For The Sweetened Milk (Ras)
- 1 liter whole milk
- 2 tablespoon almonds
- 2 tablespoon pistachios
- 3-4 green cardamom pods take out the seeds and grind using a mortar pestle or use ½ teaspoon ready made green cardamom powder
- 8-10 saffron strands
- ½ cup granulated sugar or to taste
To make Chenna Discs
- 1 liter whole milk
- 2 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon semolina fine sooji
For Sugar Syrup
- 5 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
Make The Ras (Sweetened Milk)
- Pour 1 litre of whole milk into a heavy bottomed deep pot(I use 4 qt pot).
- Place the pot of milk on a low to medium flame, and while stirring regularly with a rubber spatula, bring the milk to a boil. For 1 liter of milk, this process will take about 10-12 minutes.
- Reduce to low heat and add the almonds, pistachios, green cardamom powder and saffron strands to the simmering milk. Let simmer for 3-5 more minutes.
- Thereafter, add the ½ cup sugar and stir with spatula until it dissolves. Stir at regular intervals and let milk cook for 3-4 minutes more. Then switch off the stove. Be careful not to thicken the milk else the chenna patties won't absorb the ras. The sweetened milk should be light and pourable.
- Pour the thickened milk into a large bowl and let cool down. Don't refrigerate. Proceed to make the chenna.
Prepare Fresh Chenna
- Select a heavy bottomed, deep cooking pot (your pasta boiling pot or similar will work great). We have to allow for the volume increase when the milk comes to a boil.
- Pour 1 litre full fat milk into the pot and on low medium heat while stirring regularly using a rubber spatula, bring the milk to a boil. For 1 litre of milk it will take 10-12 minutes.
- Switch off the stove and wait for 1 to 1:30 minutes. Meanwhile mix white vinegar and water in a small bowl or measuring cup(spout makes it easier to pour). You could use lemon juice instead of vinegar. Also, place a colander lined with a muslin cloth or cheesecloth over a large bowl (colander should not touch the bottom of bowl).
- Add the vinegar mixture to the hot milk in 3 parts. Each time you pour vinegar, very gently stir the curdled milk.
- After the third addition, you will see green whey seperating and milk solids (chenna particles). Don't let the chenna sit in the acidic environment for too long. Strain it rightaway over the colander.
- Pour cold water to wash the chenna once, bring around the end of the cheesecloth to make a pouch. Press slightly for 5-8 seconds to squeeze out excess water.
- Place the pouch over the colander and place a heavy weight (I use a heavy mortar ) over it. Let sit for not more than 8-10 minutes. We don't want to draw out lot of moisture. That will result in dry chenna and you won't be able to knead it.
Shape Chenna Discs
- Unwrap the chenna from cheesecloth and place it on a large (12 inch) plate. Set timer for 8 minutes.
- Start kneading the chenna using the heel of your palm. Apply gentle pressure as you push and stretch the chenna forward. Gather it back together and repeat the process, kneading for about 6-8 minutes.
- It might be few minutes more or less, but don't under knead (pointer - chenna looks and feels grainy & dry) If the chenna starts to feel oily or releases fat, it means it has been over-kneaded.
- Add the fine sooji and knead for another minute. Don't knead too much else the gluten in semolina is activated and rasmalai will become dense & chewy. Cover and let kneaded chenna rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Test by rolling a small portion into a ball. It should be smooth without cracks and hold its shape well.
- Once the chenna has rested, divide it into 11-12 small portions (1 to 1.5 tablespoon each). Roll each one into a smooth balls without cracks. Press gently to resemble a patty. Don't make too big because they will double in size after boiling in sugar syrup.
Cook And Soak Rasmalai Discs in Ras
- In a large, wide pan (1 use 12 inch kadai), combine 1 cup of sugar with 5 cups water. Stir until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Place over high flame and bring the syrup to a full boil (rolling boil) over high heat.
- Without reducing flame, carefully slide the chenna patties into the boiling syrup, one by one.
- Cover the kadai with a lid and let the rasmalai discs cook in the boiling syrup for 10-12 minutes. Keep the heat on high during this time. Don't peek. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, prepare a ice bath (water + ice cubes).
- After 10-12 minutes, the patties should have doubled in size and should be light and spongy. Switch off the stove.
- Immediately, remove the chenna balls using a from syrup using a slotted spoon and place in ice water bath for at least 30 minutes. This allows them to stop cooking and cool down.
- Gently squeeze out the water from each patty by pressing it between your palms. This makes sure that they will absorb the ras. Be careful not to break them.
- Place the patties into the room temperature ras. Make sure that they are fully submerged in milk mixture. Allow them to soak refrigerated for at least 5-6 hours or overnight is the best.
- Serve rasmalai chilled garnished with extra nuts if desired. Store in an airtight container refrigerated and try to finish it in 3-4 days.
Notes
- Trust The Process - Like most traditional mithai recipes, rasmalai takes time to make and perfect. Your initial attempts might not yield the desired results, but learning the art of indian mithai is all about practice and patience. Don’t rush the process, especially when reducing the milk or cooking the chenna patties in syrup.
- Make chenna from scratch - Chenna or curdled whole milk is the soul of rasmalai. We need very soft, fresh chenna for light & airy texture of the rasmalai discs. Avoid using store bought paneer as sometimes it has additives or coagulants which won't result in the right texture.
- Kneading chenna - This is the KEY step in making perfect rasmalai. Having developed this recipe over a long period of time, I can confidently say that it's more important to trust how the chenna feels under the heel of your palm than to rely solely on the timer. The chenna should feel smooth and pliable, not grainy or oily.
- Don't go overboard on flavorings - Rasmalai is supposed to be a dainty and delicate dessert. A light sprinkle of green cardamom (freshly ground is best) and a few saffron threads (optional) are all you need to evoke that classic mithai feel. Stronger flavors can overpower and detract from the dessert's signature milkiness.
- Use heavy bottomed and wide mouthed pots - The choice of cooking pots really matters! I prefer using non-stick stainless steel or anodized utensils for the best results since milk has a high tendency to stick. Heavy pots ensure the milk doesn't scorch, while wide pans make stirring easier and provide enough space for the rasmalai balls to expand.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!