Rasmalai is one of the popular
Indian sweet from West Bengal. Rasmalai is basically, a soft and spongy cottage
cheese balls dunked in saffron flavoured milk and garnished with dry fruits.
The word Angoori derives from the name Angoor which means grape in Hindi, is
significant here for its shape and size. This angoori Rasmalai is creamy, soft
and luscious and heavenly delicious. I made this dessert for my daughter's
Birthday.
Ingredients
:
For
the Paneer:
Full
cream milk - 1litre
Lemon
juice - 3 tbsp
For
the Sugar Syrup:
Sugar
-1/2 cup
Water
- 3 cups
Cardamon
-1/2 tsp
The
Saffron Flavoured Thick Milk:
Thick
milk- 1 litre
Sugar-
1/2 cup
Cashew
nut - 2 tbsp
Pistachio-
2 tbsp
Cardamon
powder - 1 tsp
Saffron
- a good pinch
Yellow
food color - a small pinch
Almond/Pistachio
slivers, for garnishing
Method:
1.Heat 11/2 litre of the milk in a
heavy bottomed pan. Allow the milk to come to a boil. Once the milk comes to a
boil, pour in the lime juice and give the milk a stir. Turn off the heat.
2.The milk will curdle immediately.Let
it rest for 5 minutes. Drain the curdled milk in a cheese cloth.Wash the cheese
under running water to remove the traces of lemon juice.
3.Tie the cloth holding the corners
and hang it in the sink tap for 1 hour to drain away any excess whey.
4.Place the chena in a wide mixing
bowl and begin to knead the chena with the heel of your palm.
5.Knead well for
about 5 to 10 minutes until you get a really smooth dough.
6.Make small bite size balls of the
chena dough. Roll the chena balls between your palm to make the outer surface
smooth. This will be your angoori (grape sized) rasmalai balls.
7.Mean while, heat the remaining 1 liter milk in
a heavy bottom pan. Add saffron and
yellow food coloring. Cook on low heat, till milk is reduced to half.
8.Add 1/2 cup sugar and dry fruits and
cardamom powder in the reduced milk
Mix well. Keep the milk aside.
9. Heat 1 and ½ cup sugar and water in a pan.
When the water comes to a rolling boil, add a few chenna balls.Do not over crowd .
10.Cook for about 5 minutes on high
heat and then turn the flame to minimum possible flame. Now cook it covered for
next 10 minutes on lowest flame.
11.Open the pan and Angoor(mini
rasgulla) are now cooked. You may check it by pressing a sponge with your finger
if it bounces back to its original shape, its cooked.
12.Squeeze out any excess sugar syrup
from the rasgullas gently. take out the angoor gently and add in the warm
reduced milk.
13.Once the rasmalai is completely
cool, refrigerate it and serve chilled with some extra garnish of dry fruits.