Traditional Ras Malai

Spongy fresh cheese discs soaked in reduced milk infused with saffron and cardamom. The texture is light, the milk coats the spoon, and pistachios provide a necessary crunch.

• Prep time: 30 min
• Cook time: 60 min
• Difficulty: Hard
• Calories: 522
• Protein: 15 g
• Carbs: 71 g
• Fat: 19 g

Ingredients

• 1500 ml Whole milk ( divided into 1L and 500ml )
• 2 piece Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. ( juiced )
• 200 g White sugar ( divided )
• 1 tsp Cardamom powder
• 1 pinch Saffron
• 20 g Roasted salted pistachio ( crushed )
• 20 g Almond with skin ( slivered )
• 1 tsp rose water optional

Instructions

1. Curdling the milk

   Bring 1 liter of whole milk to a boil. As soon as it boils, pour in the lemon juice. Stir gently until the curd clearly separates from the greenish whey.

2. Draining the chenna

   Strain the curd through a chinois lined with cheesecloth. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and remove the lemon acidity. Squeeze firmly to extract water without completely drying out the mass.

3. Kneading and shaping

   Knead the cheese with the palm of your hand on a clean surface. Continue until the texture is smooth and the milk fat starts to shine on your hands. Shape into 12 small flat discs.

4. Poaching in syrup

   Boil 500 ml of water with 100g of sugar. Drop the discs into the simmering syrup. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. They should double in size and become spongy.

5. Milk reduction (Rabri)

   In another pan, reduce 500 ml of milk with the remaining sugar, cardamom, and saffron. Simmer gently until the liquid reduces by half and coats the back of a spoon.

6. Final assembly

   Gently press each disc between two spoons to remove the syrup. Drop them into the hot reduced milk. Add rose water, crushed pistachios, and almonds.

Chef's tips

• Kneading is key: the dough must be supple with no cracks on the edges of the discs.
• Do not squeeze the discs too hard after poaching; they must remain like sponges to soak up the reduced milk.

Storage

Store in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days in its soaking milk. Serve chilled.