Delicious Rasmalai is traditional and simple sweet made with Indian Cottage cheese and sugar and spices
Rasmalai/Indian Cottage Cheese in Milk Syrup is one of east India’s famous dessert dishes. It is popular in West Bengal, Orissa etc along with neighboring Bangladesh. Ras malai usually consists of three parts: first one is cheese balls/paneer/cheena balls , the second part is to cook the paneer/cheena balls cooked in sugar syrup. Then third part is to soak it in milk syrup/rabdi in which paneer/cheena balls.
This recipe make a few serving of Rasmalai about 2-3 serving rather than 10-12 serving, This recipe is adapted from Simran’s recipe with slight modification of adding 1 teaspoon of corn starch instead of ½ teaspoon and reducing some sugar in Ras and garnish with them pistachios and saffron.
I made paneer and hung it in my kitchen sink, supposed to hang it for 1 hour, however I hung for 3 hours as my little one’s 12 month check up was on the afternoon and poor girl got some shots too so I was holding her until she took nap.
Even though the recipe feels long and tedious, actually it is quite simple and easy to follow as you start making them.
I didn’t use the pressure cooker to cook the paneer/cheena balls. As I was afraid of breaking them, I only cooked it in on stove stop. Cooked for 20 minutes instead of 15 minutes mentioned the recipe. They came out really good. I am going to making more often, as both my hubby and little one liked it very much.
How to make Rasmalai/Indian Cottage Cheese in Milk Syrup?
For making rasamalai you need following ingredeints.
Milk: You need to use full fat milk to get creamy good paneer
Heavy cream : Heavy cream adds creamy structure to the recipe.
Lemon juice : lemon juice is used to cuddle the milk you can use Vinegar if you want
Cardamom and Saffron : Are spices you need to make this rasa malai
Sugar: Sweetner used in the recipe
Cornstarch : Used to make paneer balls soft
For making paneer
Boil 2 cup of milk in sauce pot with occasional stirring. 
Once it starts boiling add lime/lemon juice/vinegar and stir until it curdles.
In a strainer lined with cheese cloth pour the curdle cheese along with whey water. Collect the drained whey water using container. You can use this whey water to make chapathi dough or to cook don’t throw away, it is rich in nutrients. Wash the paneer with 1 cup of water so that sourness from lime juice will be removed.
Hung the cheese cloth along with paneer in kitchen sink for one hour or until entire whey water is removed. However, I hung for 3 hours.
Remove from the cheese cloth and add corn starch and knead them into a soft dough or until you won’t see any grains in them.
Divide the soft paneer dough into 6 equal sized rounds (I made 7 round balls with last one being small). Slightly flatten them in the center and keep aside.
For Making sugar syrup
In a sauce pot add 2 cups water and ½ cup sugar and let it boil, it takes about 10 minutes to boil. Continue for another 5 minutes of boiling.
Gradually drops the flattened paneer balls into the sugar syrup
continue to cook for another 20 minutes or until its doubles in size.
Then add ½ cup cold water and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Switch off the flame. Once it cooled remove the paneer balls along with some syrup and keep aside.
For Making Ras/ Milk Syrup
In a sauce pot preferably a nonstick one add 2 cup of milk and boil it in medium flame. Once it starts boiling reduce the fire and simmer it with occasional stirring until it reduces to half. It takes about 30 minutes.
Add 1 tablespoon of heavy cream, saffron and sugar and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes or it becomes thick.
Once it is cooled add gently squeezed paneer/cheena balls into milk syrup and let it chill in refrigerator.
At the time of serving garnish them with chopped pistachios.
Enjoy chilled.
Other Milk Based sweets are
Rasamalai
Delicious and simple sweet made with Indian Cottage cheese and sugar. Topped with nuts.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 200kcal
Ingredients
- For Paneer /Cheena balls
- 2 cup Milk
- 1 Juice of 1 lemon You can use ½ teaspoon vinegar
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1 cup water
- For sugar syrup
- 2 cup water
- ½ cup sugar
- Rasamalai
- 2 cup Milk
- 5 Saffron threads
- 1 ½ tablespoon Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Heavy whipping cream
- 2 Cardamom pods
- 1 tablespoon Pistachio crushed finely.
Instructions
- For making paneer
- Boil 2 cup of milk in sauce pot with occasional stirring. Once it starts boiling add lime/lemon juice/vinegar and stir until it curdles.
- In a strainer lined with cheese cloth pour the curdle cheese along with whey water. Collect the drained whey water using container. You can use this whey water to make chapathi dough or to cook don’t throw away, it is rich in nutrients. Wash the paneer with 1 cup of water so that sourness from lime juice will be removed.
- Hung the cheese cloth along with paneer in kitchen sink for one hour or until entire whey water is removed. However, I hung for 3 hours.
- Remove from the cheese cloth and add corn starch and knead them into a soft dough or until you won’t see any grains in them.
- Divide the soft paneer dough into 6 equal sized rounds (I made 7 round balls with last one being small). Slightly flatten them in the center and keep aside.
- For Making sugar syrup
- In a sauce pot add 2 cups of water and ½ cup of sugar and let it boil, it takes about 10 minutes to boil. Continue for another 5 minutes of boiling.
- Gradually drops the flattened paneer balls into the sugar syrup and continue to cook for another 20 minutes or until its doubles in size.
- Then add ½ cup cold water and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Switch off the flame. Once it cooled remove the paneer balls along with some syrup and keep aside.
- For Making Ras/ Milk Syrup
- In a sauce pot preferably a nonstick one add 2 cup of milk and boil it in medium flame. Once it starts boiling reduce the fire and simmer it with occasional stirring until it reduces to half. It takes about 30 minutes.
- Add 1 tablespoon of heavy cream, saffron and sugar and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes or it becomes thick.
- Once it is cooled add gently squeezed paneer/cheena balls into milk syrup and let it chill in refrigerator.
- At the time of serving garnish them with chopped pistachios.
- Enjoy chilled.
Nutrition
Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 78mg | Potassium: 260mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 300IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 193mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!
This is Swathi ( Dr. Ambujom Saraswathy Ph.D) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen who loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. Whenever possible I try to to give an Indian touch to several of the world cuisine, and has weakness for freshly baked bread. All the recipes you see here are created by me and approved after taste-test by my family.
GayathriRaj says
Hey wow Swathi....really u have great patience i say...the pics are really beautiful and very useful too....i loved the presentation...
Jagruti says
Hey Swathi
ras malai looks really tempting..with your little one you've done a great job..I've good and sad memories with ras malai...so I left this time..
My cooking experiments says
Looks lovely!Can we do it without corn starch?
Padhu says
Wow! Swathi this is too tempting !! My mouth started watering seeing the pics. Great work .
Panchpakwan says
Wow swathi..looks so perfect ras malai..
wish i coud have some!
Sarah Naveen says
Excellent click...looks so yummy and nice recipe..
Malar Gandhi says
Oh wow, that looks very appealing, awesome work, sure, delicious.:)
PranisKitchen says
superb yarr.what a delicious rasamalai.very well explained.really loved the presentation.
thanks for this yummy recipe
Vrinda says
Looks so perfect Swathi...really yummyyyyy
simply.food says
Ras malai looks delicious and you have presented it beautifully.Yummy and delectable.
Kiran says
Hi Swathi,Rasmalai looks very delicious.Thank you for sharing the minimum servings version.Hope your daughter is feeling better after the vaccines.Have a nice weekend.
Gulmohar says
My most fav sweet...all the efforts worth it, rt..they have come out great
Preeti Kashyap says
Lovely stepwise method!
SpicyTasty says
Came through lots of rasamalai recipe in blogs today. But swathi kudos to you, yours sure look like a divine dessert and it's absolutely delectable. Beautiful click swathi. And nice step by step pics... Love it.
By
Nithu
myspicykitchen says
Beautiful pictures and delicious ras malai!
Divya Kudua says
Lovely pics..esp the step by step ones.Glad it came out good for you..looks perfect!!
Nithu Bala says
nice step-by-step pictures..loved your rasmalai..
Priya says
Rasmalai looks super prefect...am damn sure u enjoyed making them na, i loved making and finishing the whole bowl...
divya says
Rasmalai looks perfect n delicious dear,today i saw lot of rasmali pictures in many blogs tempting me to make this milk sweet dear.
Hamaree Rasoi says
You know Swathi I have been craving Rasmalai quite some time and your pictures are making me mad :-)Wonderful job dear
Deepa
Hamaree Rasoi
Hari Chandana says
OMG!!!!!!!.. looks soo beautiful.. wow, what a presentation... awesome job dear!!
SathyaSridhar says
Swathi, rasmalai looks perfect n delicious dear, today i saw lot of rasmalai pictures in many blogs tempting me to make this milk sweet dear.
Rosa's Yummy Yums says
OMG, that dessert looks fantastic! What a refined speciality!
Cheers,
Rosa
Priti says
Lovely post ...and drooling man its raining ras malai here my favvvvvvvv....yummy
Niloufer Riyaz says
Rasmalai looks really delicious, even I amde it today
Varunavi says
Such a wonderful looking rasmalai's.Liked the detailed pcs of making the ras malai's
Sushma Mallya says
Wow swathi, its so beautiful ,you made it really well and presented it so nicely...
Jay says
Wow Swathi,
I couldn't stop amazing...even though lengthy procedure , looks very worthy n great. Loved your wonderful presentation. You are rocking dear. Just love to taste it 😉
Ms.Chitchat says
Wow, u need to be appreciated first for having attempted this dish inspite of so many commitments. It has come out very well,loved the clicks and the illustrations too.