RASMALAI THE QUEEN OF ALL DESSERTS

RASMALAI: QUEEN OF ALL DESSERTS 

Rasmalai is believed to have originated in Bengal. The word Ras- Malai is the Hindi cognate which comes from two Bangla words:  Ros meaning juice and  Molai  meaning cream.  This dessert is made from cheese, milk , saffron, cardamom powder and nuts.  According to one of the local sweets shop in Kolkata, this Bengali dessert was first made and perfected by KC Das.  Although this claim can not be easily verified.

Rasmalai is a creamy and milky syrup that consists of cottage cheese balls or discs.  The syrup is made from full cream milk, sugar, cardamom powder, rose water, saffron threads and garnished with almonds and pistachios. This dessert is served cold.  Unlike other desserts this popular dessert needs skill and practice to perfect it.  The key to the success of this dessert lies in the process of making Chenna or paneer (cottage cheese)from the milk. If a little bit of water content is left in the chenna or you haven’t kneaded it well, the balls or discs will turn out to be hard and that can ruin this dessert.

Last month my old friends were visiting me after one year and I wanted to make something very special. So I decided to make this queen of desserts, Rasmalai.  Everyone loved it and almost everyone took second helpings.  Here is my recipe I would like to share with everyone.

Ingredients:

For Making Balls or Discs

5 cups of whole or full cream milk, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 1 cup sugar, 4 cups of water

Method:

Take milk in a heavy bottom pan and boil on the medium flame. When milk starts to boil, reduce the flame and add lemon juice gradually. Stir it gently till milk starts to curdle. Turn-off the flame and let it cool off for a while. Take cheese cloth, place it on a colander and let curdled. Ilk pass through the cheese cloth.  Whey will drain away and thick creamy chenna will be left in the cloth. Run the chenna or paneer under the cold water so no residues of lemon are left in the chenna.  Now collect the opposite  links of the cheese cloth and tie it on the water tap on the kitchen sink.

Let all the water drain away.  It takes almost two three hours for water to drain.  You may squeeze the chenna bundle gently between your palms so that no excess water is left.  Transfer the chenna to a pan and knead it for half hour.  Put a drop of cooking oil on your palms and make small balls but flatten them a little as we are making rasmalai.  Put these in a plate.

In the meanwhile, make a sugar syrup by adding one cup of sugar to four cups of wAter in an uncovered pressure cooker. Put it on the stove till sugar is dissolved.  Now put six or seven of the flattened balls in the pressure cooker(depending on the size of your pressure cooker) and close the lid of the cooker.  These chenna balls will expand in the sugar syrup.  When steam starts to build, reduce the flame to low and put the timer for exactly 7 minutes. After seven minutes turn off the stove and take the pressure cooker to kitchen sink under the cold water as that will help opening the lid. You will hear a sound. Close the water tap. Open the cooker and gently take out the chenna balls or discs in a big bowl. Some syrup will also come out which is fine.  Let them cool off. Repeat the process till all the flattened balls are cooked. Once cool, put the bowl in the refrigerator. They have to stay overnight before we put them in the milk syrup.

Ingredients:

ForMilk to Dip Rasmalai 

6 cups of whole or full cream milk, 1 cup sugar, 15-20 threads of saffron, 10 almonds cut into small pieces, 10 pistachios cut into small pieces, 10 cashews cut finely, 1/2 tsp cardamom powder, 1 tsp rose or Kewra essence.

Method:

Put milk in a heavy pan over the stove till it starts to boil.   Reduce the flame but keep stirring till milk reduces to half or a little more than half. Put saffron in the milk and add almonds and cashews. Turn off the flame.  Now put sugar in the hot milk and stir well so sugar dissolves completely.  Add cardamom powder.  Let it cool off completely.  Your milk to dip rasmalai is ready.

Take out the sugar dipped discs from the refrigerator and gently press each disc between your palms and dip in the prepared milk.  Repeat the process till all discs are dipped in the milk. Put them In a nice flat bowl. Add kewra or rose essence and garnish with pistachios.   It is a good idea to leave rasmalai in the refrigerator for a couple of hours so it soaks the milk. Now enjoy this scrumptious dessert.

GUJYIA : Traditional sweet of Holi festival

GUJIYA 

Gujiya is a sweet often made at the time of Holi festival.    It is commonly eaten in India, Nepal and Bangladesh.  It is a half moon shaped dumpling made of all purpose flour(maida) and semolina(sooji)which is filled with milk solids(called khoya or Mawa) and nuts and then deep fried.  If you purchase Gujiya from a shop you will find it glazed with sugary syrup but if you make it at home you may skip the glazed part and feel less guilty eating it.

It is often said Holi is not complete without Gujiya.  Gujiya is known by different names in different parts of India.  It is known as Pedakiya, Ghughra in Gujarat and Karanji in Mahashtra.  Gujiya has similar cousin in the South of india known as Karachika, Kajjikayi and Nervi.  It won’t be an  exaggeration to say that in India there is a special recipe for every festive occasion.  

Gujiya has travelled time and thankfully has remained in its original form and taste.  It used to be a part of royal kitchen in Bundelkhand region in Rajasthan, before British times.  In North India Gujiya is filled with Mawa and nuts while in south coconut becomes a prime ingredient.

This Holi I made Gujiya at home.  Instead of white flour I tried with multigrain flour, semolina and a little bit of white flour.   I wanted to make Gujiya right from scratch and that is the reason I made even Mawa by myself an evening before.

To make Mawa or Khoya I took a cup of whole milk powder in a bowl. Took 1/3 cup of milk and a 1/2 tbsp of ghee. Boil milk and add ghee in a pan and mix it with the milk powder. Use a whisk to blend it well, take it out in a small bowl. Once it comes to room temperature, refrigerate it.  Next morning take it out and grate the Mawa and keep it aside.

Ingredients:

For the Dough:

1 cup multi grain or whole wheat flour, 1 tbsp semolina(sooji), 2 tbsp white flour(maida), 1/4 cup ghee for making the dough, 2 tbsp ghee(clarified butter)for frying, water to knead the dough. (You May use cooking oil for frying the Gujiya but frying in the ghee enhances the taste)

For the Filling:

1 cup Mawa, 1/4 cup cashews, 1/4 cup almonds, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 tbsp chironji, 1 tsp cardamom powder.

Method:

Take a mixing bowl and add wheat flour, semolina and white flour. Add 1/4 cup of ghee to it and with your fingertips mix ghee and make like coarse breadcrumbs. Add water to make it a pliable but firm dough. You should not need more than 1/2 cup of water.  Cover the dough with a damp cloth for 20 minutes or so.

In the meanwhile prepare the filling. Roast the grated mawa(khoya) in a non stick pan on low flame. It should not take more than 5 minutes to cook it.

Blanch almonds, peel off the skin and cut into small pieces. Cut cashews into small pieces.  

Once mawa cools off add nuts, chironji, powdered sugar, cardamom powder and mix it with a spoon.  Your filling is ready to be stuffed.

Divide the dough into equal parts. Take one part and with rolling pin make a circle of 4” to 5”.

Place it over Gujiya mould, fill 2 or 3 tsp of filling(depending on the size of your mould).

Please do not over fill the mixture as Gujiya will open up while deep frying.  Close the mould and remove the excess dough from the sides.  Add the trimmed dough to the rest of the dough.  Repeat the process to make more Gujiya until the dough is finished.  Keep the filled Gujiya under the damp cloth otherwise they will dry up.

Heat rest of the ghee in a pan on a medium low flame. Once oil is hot enough, fry the filled Gujiya till golden in colour. Transfer them on paper towel so that excess oil is drained.

If you prefer to bake Gujiya, you may do so in 200 degree C(350 degree F) for 20 to 25 minutes or till they are golden in colour.  Baking method definitely make this sweet healthy but it does compromise the traditional decadent taste. 

Once they cool off, you can store them in an airtight container for a week or so.

Note: Buchanania Lanza is a deciduous tree which produces seeds that are edible for humans. These seeds are known as Chironji or Charoli.  These almond flavoured seeds are used as a cooking spice primarily in India.  Chironji is very rich in minerals like calcium, iron and phosphorus.

  

MARMALADE CAKE OF RICE FLOUR

Other day I started making cake without realising that I was almost out of white flour in the house. I was left just with barely one fourth cup of it.  It was raining with cats and dogs and I didn’t have any will to step out.  Since I had already mixed eggs and sugar, cake had to be made.  I started looking into my pantry and found rice flour. Thought for a few minutes and concluded that rice flour seems light so let me take a chance. So I made this cake with leftover white flour and rice flour.  I was having a peek in the oven more than usual. Expecting cake to be like a flat bread.  After 35 minutes when I took it out of oven, I was amazed and thrilled to see a beautiful sponge cake. It was fluffy, lighter and tastier.  After that day I decided not to make cake just with white flour, which has the highest gluten content.  Some wise man rightly said: Necessity is the mother of invention.

I am very happy to share with you all, my recipe for the marmalade cake made with rice flour.

Ingredients:

3 eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup white flour(maida), 1/2 cup rice flour, 3/4 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp vanilla essence, 3 tbsp orange marmalade. 

Method:

Take a big pan, fill it with hot water. Now take another pan and place it in the hot water Put eggs and sugar in this pan and beat with electric beater (preferably)till it reaches creamy consistency. Take the pan out of the hot water.

Now add white flour, rice flour and baking powder little by little and mix it with a wooden spatula. When well blended add vanilla essence and mix it.

Grease a small cake pan. Pour the mix in it and bake in the oven 180 degree C (300 degree F)for 35 minutes or till wooden stick comes out clean. 

Take it out of oven. After ten minutes, take it out of the cake pan on a wire rack and let it cool off for an hour or so.

Now take out marmalade in a pan, add 2 tbsp of hot water and heat it till marmalade turns little liquid. Pour it on the cake.

 Enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea.

PICKLE AND MARMALADE OF TART SMALL ORANGES

Calamondin or little tart oranges is an important citrus hybrid predominantly cultivated in the Philippines.   It is native to the Philippines and surrounding areas in southern China, Taiwan, Borneo and Sulawesi.

Calamondin oranges are used for various medicinal purposes in Indonesia and Malaysia.  The juice is rubbed on insect bites and stings to relieve itching and irritation.  In the Philippines, the juice is used to bleach stains from the fabric.  Calamondin juice is taken for coughs and as an anti-inflammatory remedy.

These oranges grow up to be a bush but they can easily be grown in a pot in your yard or indoors.  If you live in an area where winters are harsh, grow this ornamental plant indoors but put it near the window with plenty of sun.  Take this plant outside during summer. In fact this plant is considered a good luck sign to grow in your home or garden.

These oranges have a sweet skin but very tart flesh. They can be made easily into spicy pickle or marmalade.  Some people use them raw in salads. Although I wonder how can it be eaten raw with that tangy bite under your teeth.  These oranges are a good source of vitamins, calcium, magnesium and sodium.

This plant was laden with fruits in my front yard. So I picked some fruits and made spicy pickle and marmalade. Both the items came out to my satisfaction. So here are the recipes I would want to share with you all.

MARMALADE

Ingredients:

Oranges 45, sugar 3 1/2 cups, water 2 cups, lemon juice 1 tsp, zest of lemon 1/4 tsp

Method:

Wash the fruit, wipe them down and cut into two parts. Take out the seeds. Put the flesh part in a bowl and cut the skin into small pieces. 

Mix lemon juice and zest with the flesh and pulp of oranges.  Lemon juice works like pectin for the marmalade. I try to avoid chemicals for the home made jams.

Put them in a pot with two cups of water for boiling. After the first boil add sugar to the pot. Reduce the flame to medium. After 15 to 16 minutes it will start to thicken.

Turn off the flame. It will solidify more after cooling off.

Once it reaches room temperature, you can put it in a sterilised bottle. Don’t close the lid till it completely cools off. You can refrigerate the marmalade and enjoy with your favourite bread.

SPICY PICKLE

Ingredients:

30 oranges, 1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 2 tbsp salt, 1/2 cup mustard oil,  1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp dark brown mustard seeds, 1/8 tsp asafoetida(hing), 3/4 cup brown sugar or grated jaggery.

Method:

Wash, clean and wipe oranges with a dry cloth.

Make a plus sign on the top but do not slice all the way down.

Put these in a glass bowl and sprinkle turmeric, chilli powder and salt on these.

Heat oil in a pan, add asafoetida and mustard seeds. When mustard seeds stop spluttering, turn off the flame. Pour this hot oil on the spiced up oranges. 

You can sprinkle brown sugar now and mix well with a spatula.

Cover it.  When it comes on room temperature, transfer the pickle to a sterilised bottle.

Keep the bottle in the sun for 4 to 5 days so the sugar melts well.

Enjoy with your rice or parantha or any kind of bread.