Rasamalai

Ingredients:
For Malai:
Milk - 1/2 litre (For best results use creamy milk)
Lemon juice - 3 tablespoons
Sugar - 1 cup
Milk powder / plain flour - 1-2 tablespoons
Water - 2 cups

For flavoured Milk:
Milk - 1/2 litre
Sugar - 1/2 cup or as required
Cardamom powder - 1 teaspoon
Saffron - a pinch (soaked in warm water/milk)
Sliced Nuts for garnishing (Almonds, Cashew, Pistachios, etc)
Rose essence - 2-3 drops


Method:
For Malai:
Take a thick bottomed pan and heat milk. Allow it to boil well. Reduce the flame, add lemon juice slowly, stirring the milk.

Curd starts forming and keep stirring slowly, until all the milk turns solid and water separates out.

Put off the flame and strain the curd. Use a clean muslin/cotton cloth to collect the solid part. This is called paneer or cottage cheese.

Run the cloth with paneer in water, so that it gets washed and removes the smell of lemon.

Then twist cloth tightly, so that it lets out even the last drop of water.

Knead it to make a smooth dough. Add very little milk powder or plain flour, if you feel it watery.

Once it is smooth, make into small balls. Press the balls between hands so that it becomes flat and keep aside.

Heat 1 cup of sugar in 2 cups of water and allow it to boil.

Once it starts boiling, reduce the flame and add the flat balls one by one slowly into it.

Let it cook for 10-15 minutes. Balls will puff up and start floating on the surface, that indicates it is cooked.

Take them carefully one by one and keep aside.


For flavoured milk:
Heat milk in a heavy bottomed pan and allow it boil.

Stir it continuously until the volume reduces to half and becomes thick.

Add sugar, cardamom powder, saffron water/milk and stir well, until sugar dissolves (5-10 minutes).

Put off the flame and allow it to cool for some time. Once it is warm, add rose essence and mix well.

Then add the cheese balls one by one slowly.

Garnish it with nuts and allow it to cool completely.

Refrigerate and serve chilled.


Cooking time : 1 hour
Makes 6-8 balls.