RASMALAI

Rasmalai is a milk delicacy from India. The chilled cheese dumplings in thick milk tastes awesome. The cheese dumplings are prepared the same way rasgullas are prepared and then they are transferred to thick milk flavored with cardamom, rose water,saffron.
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE DUMPLINGS

• Milk        whole milk 4cups
• Lemon juice      2 Tsp
• Sugar       2 cups
• Water      4 cups

FOR THE FLAVORED MILK

• Milk              3 cups
• Sugar            1 cup
• dry fruits     chopped     2 Tsp
• Cardamom  a pinch
• rose water   1 Tsp(optional)
• saffron    a pinch(optional)

PROCEDURE
MAKING OF DUMPLINGS
First boil the milk on a medium flame, slowly add the lemon juice and keep stirring .The milk curdles slowly and slowly the fat separates. This fat is called ‘paneer’.  Switch off the stove and transfer the whole paneer with whey into a sieve or a strainer with muslin cloth on it. Slowly run cold water on the paneer. This removes the lemon flavor and also makes the paneer to remain softer without hardening. Squeeze out excess water from the paneer. There should not be any water traces in paneer. Slowly knead the paneer on a dry surface till it is smooth. Work on by kneading for 10minutes.Cover the paneer with a cloth and let remain for 10 minutes.  Again knead the paneer and make round balls and flatten them. See that the edges are not cracking. If u find cracks again kneed the paneer and make the balls. Now is the critical part in making rasmalai/ rasgullas. There are two ways of making them.The first one is as follows.
In a pan add the sugar and water and let boil. now add the flattened paneer balls to the sugar syrup and cook on a medium high flame. When the sugar syrup tends to thicken sprinkle water on the syrup. The process takes about 10 minutes and the paneer balls puffs up to double their size. Now switch off the flame and remove the flattened balls and keep aside.These balls are called rasgullas.
The second procedure is simple and easy. Heat the water and sugar in a pressure cooker and when the sugar dissolves add the paneer balls and put the lid. Wait for one whistle and then reduce the flame to sim/low. After 5 minutes keep the pressure cooker under running water to reduce the inside pressure. Now remove the lid and you will see the puffed-up  cheese balls.
FOR THE FLAVORED MILK
In a thick bottomed pan add the milk and keep stirring till the milk reduces to half of the original quantity. Now add the sugar, cardamom powder. Boil for another 5 minutes. At this point of time saffron can be added.
Squeeze the rasgullas(cheese balls) a little bit and drop them in the milk. It takes about 5minutes for the rasmalai to absorb the milk. Switch off the flame, transfer to a serving bowl and decorate with chopped nuts. Serve chilled.
TIPS

• Use suji or maida but not both. This helps to bind the paneer together.
• The more the paneer is kneaded the more softer are the rasmalai .
• See that the sugar syrup do not over boil in the first procedure. When you find the syrup is over boiling sprinkle the water.
• Once the balls puffs up to double their size switch off the flame immediately otherwise the rasmalai will harden.
• In the pressure cooker method the exact procedure is to be followed to get perfect rasmalai.
• Do not add too much of suji/ maida. Excess of maida/suji makes rasmalai hard.