The DailyWhisk

Rasmalai

Rasmalai discs in saffron milk, garnished with pistachios, almonds and saffron strands
Rasmalai — photographed fresh from our test kitchen.
  • Prep time30 mins
  • Cook time40 mins
  • Servings6 (12 discs)
  • DifficultyMedium
  • CategoryDesi

Rasmalai looks like pure magic, but it is really two simple parts done well: spongy fresh-cheese discs poached in light syrup, then drowned in cool, saffron-tinted milk. The secret is kneading the chenna until it is completely smooth — that is what makes the discs puff up instead of crumbling. Serve it ice-cold, and nobody will believe it came from your kitchen rather than a sweet shop.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 litres (6 cups) full-cream milk, for the chenna
  • 3 tbsp white vinegar, diluted in 3 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups (1 litre) water, for the syrup
  • 1 cup (200 g) sugar, for the syrup
  • 1 litre (4 cups) full-cream milk, for the rabri
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar, for the rabri
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
  • A generous pinch of saffron strands, soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk
  • 2 tbsp chopped pistachios
  • 2 tbsp chopped almonds

Method

  1. Bring the 1.5 litres of milk to a rolling boil. Lower the heat and stir in the diluted vinegar until the milk curdles and the whey turns clear and greenish.
  2. Strain through a muslin cloth, rinse the chenna under cold water to wash off the vinegar smell, then squeeze out the water and hang the bundle for 45 to 60 minutes — it should feel just damp, not bone dry.
  3. Knead the chenna with the flour for 8 to 10 minutes until completely smooth, like soft dough. Roll into 12 crack-free balls and flatten gently into discs.
  4. Boil the 4 cups water with 1 cup sugar. Slip in the discs, cover, and boil 7 to 8 minutes — they will swell to nearly double. Cool, then gently squeeze out the excess syrup.
  5. For the rabri, simmer the 1 litre of milk, stirring often, until reduced by about a third. Stir in the 1/2 cup sugar, cardamom, saffron milk and half the nuts. Cool completely, then chill.
  6. Soak the discs in the chilled milk for at least 4 hours (overnight is even better), so they drink it in slowly.
  7. Serve ice-cold, topped with the remaining pistachios and almonds.

Tips for success

  • Chenna that is too dry gives crumbly discs; too wet gives falling-apart ones. It should hold a fingerprint like soft dough.
  • Keep the syrup at a lively, steady boil while the discs cook — that continuous heat is what puffs them up.
  • Add the discs only to fully cooled and chilled milk, so they soak slowly instead of breaking.

Watch video tutorial

Prefer to watch it being made? This from Yum Curry walkthrough covers the same rasmalai step by step — the spoken narration doubles as an audio tutorial.

Watch on YouTube