Ras Malai..!

Ras Malai is one of my favorite Indian dessert. I always used to order this and kulfi if I happen to visit and Indian restaurant. These yummy rasagulas in the rabri are just heavenly. This recipe is not an easy peasy one. This doest take some time and does require patience. Well no pain no gain isn’t it ;) So I normally prepare this whenever we call our family or friends for lunch or for occasions like Eid. I haven’t tried any other methods of making paneer as I have been totally satisfied with the method that I use. 

Makes : 20 pieces

Ingredients:
For Paneer:
Milk                      2 ltr
Vinegar                    2 tbsp diluted n ½ cup water
Ice Water                3 cups or more

For Rasagulas
Sugar                        1 cup
Water                        6 cups (plus as reduces)
Cardamom powder   1 tsp or as per taste

Rabri:
Milk                          1.5 ltr
Almond slices           5-6 

Cardamom powder   As per taste

Saffron                      2 pinch
Sugar                       1 cups (or more or less as per taste)

Method:
For Paneer

1. Boil the milk in a big vessel.
2. When this starts to boil, reduce the flame and add vinegar diluted in water.
3. The milk will start to curdle. Now switch of the flame and add 3 cups of ice water. This is a tip to get soft paneer.
4. In the sink, place a colander, on top of it layer a muslin cloth and pour the whole paneer on it. The water will drain and paneer will stay in the cloth. Open the tap and run some more water on top of it. 
5. Now close the muslin cloth with paneer inside it and press out the excess water. I normally hang it on my pipe for until I prepare Rabri. 

Rabri

1. While the paneer is hung, let’s prepare the rabri.
2. Boil 2 liters on milk in a bottom thick vessel.
3. Add sugar, cardamom powder and saffron
4. Boil this until it reduces to half the quantity.
5. Keep aside.

Rasagulas

1. Boil 6 cups of water with 1 cup of sugar and 2 tsp cardamom powder.
2. Open the muslin cloth and kneed the paneer well. 
3. Make small balls out of it and flatten a little.
4. The size can be small as this will puff up when we boil it in water.
5. Take a little deep plate and pour some of the boiled water to it. (this is for transferring the cooked rasagulas) 
6. Keep the boiling water on high flame and add these flattened balls slowly to it.
7. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. 
8. Remove the cooked rasagulas and add them to the water that we took out of the boiling syrup. 
9. Keep for 10 minutes. Now squeeze this in with your palm slowly to drain the water out. DON’T press it hard. A slight squeeze should do.
10. Now transfer these to the rabdi. Garnish with some more saffron and sliced pistachios. 
11. Cool this is fridge overnight and enjoy the best home made ras malai