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Colours of saffron

YUMMY DESSERT Ras Malai

Its probably everyone’s favourite dessert. Ras Malai is dumpling made from cottage or riccotta cheese soaked in sweetened, thickened milk delicately flavoured with cardamom. Serve it chilled and garnished with slivers of dried fruit. This is a typical North Indian dessert popular in Lucknow and Bengal.

Ingredients

Milk: 3 litres

Sugar: One-and-a-half kg

Saffron: 1 gm

Refined flour: 2 tbsp

Vinegar: 40 ml

Method

Boil a litre of milk. Add the vinegar to curdle the milk. Strain through muslin cloth and cool it in cold water. Then strain the water.

Second, crumble the ‘chenna’ (paneer or cottage cheese) and mash it. Add 2 tbsp of refined flour and make a soft dough.

Divide into small portions and roll them into balls. Then gently press and slightly flatten them. Dissolve 1 kg sugar in 2 litres of water and bring to boil. Slowly put the chenna balls into the boiling syrup and cook for 15 minutes.

Remove from fire and cool. Boil the rest of the milk with saffron till it is reduced to a thick consistency. Stir continuously. Add the rest of the sugar to the reduced milk and stir. Take it from the fire and refrigerate for an hour.

Squeeze the chenna balls and place them carefully into the chilled reduced milk. Refrigerate for another half-an-hour. Garnish with saffron. Serve chilled.

Note

The Rasmalai can be made in advance for parties but it must be refrigerated. Use whole fat milk, as that gives the best ‘chenna’.

The saffron imparts a delicate flavour.

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