My favorite dessert since childhood is Ras Malai! This intimidating looking dessert is actually very simple. There are 2 basic ways to make Ras Malai. One is by Curdling milk and making Ras Malai with Paneer ( Chena) and the second one is to use milk Powder. Today I am sharing the conventional way to make Ras Malai .i.e. making Ras Malai Recipe with Paneer.
Also, I like to use condensed milk and evaporated milk to make quick Ras for the Ras Malai. That is why this recipe is called a quick Ras Malai Recipe.
What is Ras Malai?
For the Non-Indian readers, Ras Malai is a traditional Indian Dessert made with primarily milk. Milk is curdled to form Chena ( Milk Curdles). Then, Chena is kneaded to form smooth dough. The dough is divided to form small discs which are further cooked in boiling sugar syrup till they doubles in size. These are called Malai balls. These Malai balls are then dipped in sweetened thickened milk called Ras.
Ras Malai is chilled before serving.
What is the difference between Ras Malai and Rasgulla?
Ras Malai is a successor of Rasgulla. The initial step in Rasgullas and Ras malai is the same, which is making and cooking Chena balls. But for Ras Malai you have to go a step further.
Rasgullas are chilled and served right away with the syrup they are boiled in. Whereas Ras Malai balls need to be dunked in Ras. Ras is sweetened, thickened, and flavored milk syrup.
There is also a slight cosmetic difference between Rasgulla and Ras Malai. Rasgullas are always round, whereas Ras malai can be disc shaped or sometimes round.
Overall Rasgulla and Ras Malai recipe are very similar.
Can Ras Malai be eaten on fasts?
I often make it on Mondays. I and my hubby observe fasts on Mondays and Ras malai can be relished even when you are fasting. It is only made up of milk. So that should not be a problem.
But we can not use products like canned condensed milk or evaporated milk. They most probably contain additives and preservatives that we can not consume while fasting. So use whole milk and reduce till it thickens.
Also, I take extra care not to use any store-bought flavoring agents when fasting.
So, this is not a fasting Ras Malai recipe, but with some omissions and adjustments, it can be made.
Why do my Ras Malai break?
I have a detailed post on this topic. Read the post to make Fail-free Ras Malai or Rasgullas.
How to make Ras Malai?
Step 1 Make Chena and Chena discs for Ras Malai
I am using homogenized milk in my recipe. It takes a little longer to curdle and curdles at slightly higher temperatures as compared to the raw milk.
Dilute vinegar with an equal quantity of water before adding to the milk. Once the milk is curdled collect the Chena in a cloth and squeeze well to remove all the water.
Do read my blog on how to make perfect Rasgullas. It is a detailed post on making perfect Chena for Rasgulas and Ras Malai.
Step 2 Make sugar syrup and Boil the chena balls
Use fine and white, clean looking sugar to make the sugar syrup. Pale looking sugars generally have impurities and should be avoided if possible. If you have no other option, take an extra step to remove impurities from the sugar syrup by adding a tablespoon of milk.
Adding milk to dirty sugars makes it curdle, separating all the impurities with it. The dirt accumulated at the top of the syrup can be easily collected and removed with the help of a ladle.
I am using sugar syrup of a ratio of 1:4.5 for cooking the Chena balls. One can conveniently dilute it further because the balls will be soaked in sweet Ras eventually. So even lesser sweet syrups can be used in Ras Malai recipe.
Step 3 Make Ras
Conventionally whole milk is reduced to half of its volume and then sweetened and flavored to make Ras of Ras Malai. Instead of milk, I choose to use a can of evaporated milk in my Recipe. It saves time and the Ras is just perfect.
Step 4 Assembling and chilling
Squeeze the sugar syrup from the Ras Malai discs and place them in the Ras/rabri. Let them absorb the Ras and chill in the fridge for 6-7 hours before serving.
Pro Tips for best results
Take care of the following points while making this Ras Malai recipe:
- Chose only whole milk to make soft Ras Malai. Whichever type of milk you use, homogenized, pasteurized, or raw, the curdling method might vary slightly. Take time to read how to make perfect Rasgullas?
- Do not let the milk stick to the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring it continuously. Whether it is for curdling or making Ras, always use a heavy bottom pan.
- Do not let the milk curdles cook after curdling. It will make Chena pale and hard. As soon as the milk curdles, bring down the temperature by putting some ice cubes or ice-cold water.
- Remove all water from the Chena. There should be no water dripping from it.
- Knead well to remove any possible grain from the Chena to make a smooth Chena dough.
- Do not put all Chena balls together into the syrup. Add one by one so that the syrup temperature doesn’t fall suddenly.
- Ensure that you are cooking the Chena balls in a consistently boiling syrup.
- Do not expose the Chena balls to a sudden cold temperature or temperature change else they might collapse and become flat.
- When done, do not open the lid immediately. Let the syrup cool before opening the lid.
Ras Malai Recipe | How to make soft Ras Malai
Ingredients
For Chena
- 1 liter Whole Milk
- 2.5 tablespoon Vinegar/ lime juice
For syrup
- 1 cup Sugar
- 4.5 cups Water
For Ras/ Rabri
- 1 can Evaporated Milk 12 oz
- ½ cup Whole Milk
- ⅓ cup Sugar
- ¼ cup Cardamom powder
- A few Drops Kewra water optional
- 2 teaspoon Rose water
- ¼ cup Chopped nuts of your choice
Instructions
For making Chena and Chena balls
- In a heavy bottom pan, bring milk to a boil while continuously stirring. Do not let the milk stick to the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring continuously with a ladle.
- Once the milk (homogenized milk) comes to a boil, reduce the flame and add diluted vinegar or the coagulant of your choice. If using raw milk, turn off the flame and wait for a minute or two before adding the coagulant.
- Once you see that the milk has coagulated. Curdles have separated and clear hay is left behind, add 7-8 ice cubes or use ice-cold water.
- Strain the curdled milk on to a cheesecloth (or any similar cloth) and collect the milk curdles or Chena.
- Wash the Chena under the running water 2-3 times.
- Now remove the excess water from the Chena by squeezing and turning the cloth. Hang overnight and let gravity do the job or manually remove out all water from the Chena by squeezing with hands. Stop squeezing when water ceases to appear on the cloth surface.
- Take out the Chena on a clean countertop or a big plate. Knead using the palm of your hands in a forward motion. Keep kneading till it becomes smooth and grain-free. Immediately top kneading as Chena starts to leave grease.
- Divide the dough into 14 equal pieces for medium-sized Ras Malai. Take a portion in hand and squeeze between palms. Then gently roll to form a crack-free ball. Then, place the ball in one hand and gently press with the other hand to flatten it. Similarly, form crack-free disk-shaped Ras Malai.
For making Sugar syrup and Boiling Chena balls
- In a heavy bottom wide pan, add sugar and water.
- Bring the sugar syrup to a boil and add Chena balls one by one while maintaining a boil in the syrup.
- Cover and cook at a consistently boiling syrup for 12 minutes.
- Then, uncover and quickly flip the Chena balls using a spoon. Take care to be as gentle as possible while turning the Ras Malai balls. Make sure that the syrup keeps boiling when the lid is open. If required raise the flame and reduce when the lid is placed back.
- Cover and cook for 12 more minutes.
- When done, keep covered. Open the lid when the syrup has considerably cooled down.
- When it reaches the room temperature, remove them into a bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
For making Ras
- In to a pan, empty a can of evaporated milk and milk. Switch on the flame and bring it to a boil while continuously stirring.
- When it boils, reduce the flame and let simmer for 5 minutes. Keep stirring regularly.
- Add sugar and stir till it melts.
- Now, add cardamom powder, rose water, kewra water and nuts (saffron or any other preferred flavoring)
- Turn off the flame and let the Ras cool down to room temperature.
For Assembling Ras Malai
- Remove the Ras Malai balls from the fridge and remove the syrup from them by gently squeezing between both hands.
- Place the Ras Malai balls into a big bowl or use a casserole.
- Pour the Ras on to them.
- Cover and place them in a refrigerator. Let the Ras Malai soak the Ras and get chilled for 6-7 hours before serving.
Notes
- Chose only whole milk to make soft Ras Malai. Whichever type of milk you use, homogenized, pasteurized, or raw, the curdling method might vary slightly. Take time to read how to make perfect Rasgullas?
- Do not let the milk stick to the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring it continuously. Whether it is for curdling or making Ras, always use a heavy bottom pan.
- Do not let the milk curdles cook after curdling. It will make Chena pale and hard. As soon as the milk curdles, bring down the temperature by putting some ice cubes or ice-cold water.
- Remove all water from the Chena. There should be no water dripping from it.
- Knead well to remove any possible grain from the Chena to make a smooth Chena dough.
- If the sugar has impurities. Add a Tablespoon of milk to the syrup. Remove the dirt accumulated at the top with the help of a ladle.
- Do not put all Chena balls together into the syrup. Add one by one so that the syrup temperature doesn’t fall suddenly.
- Ensure that you are cooking the Chena balls in a consistently boiling syrup.
- Do not expose the Chena balls to a sudden cold temperature or temperature change else they might collapse and become flat.
- When done, do not open the lid immediately. Let the syrup cool before opening the lid.
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