Blueberry And Rose Rasmalai is an exotic dessert created to please our taste buds. Who doesn’t know Rasmalai? A classic Indian sweet dish cherished by many over years. Experimenting with flavours is why people call cooking an Art. Blueberries bring tanginess and sweetness at the same time to the palate whereas rose has a fresh floral fragrance and calming sweetness to it. Creamy milk and a soft bite of chhena makes you want more. I am certain that anyone who likes traditional Rasmalai will appreciate this delightful new version too..
Rasmalai does not need any introduction when it comes to Indian sweets; it truly is one of the most enjoyed sweets in the world. It has a rich creamy textured sweetness, flavoured milk with a bite of delicious “chhena” balls made from kneading cheese curds. Use of cardamom, saffron and dry fruits make this fragrant dessert a talk of the parties. It is considered to be the “Shahi” royal dessert in any Indian weddings and festivals. The dessert is said to be from eastern part of India like many other “Chhena” based sweets like “Rasogulla”. Whoever invented this recipe left us with a classic Indian dessert which has made a mark on the world map. Though traditionally available in milk syrup with cardamom, kesar and pista, you can experiment with flavours like mango, coconut, rose and blueberries and rose (like us).
Chhena v/s Khoya
We understand that both Khoya and Chhena are made from milk. For best results full cream milk is used. Last but not the least Khoya and Chhena both are very important ingredients of Indian Sweets. Milk boiled and reduced to the 1/8th is classified as Khoya or Mava which is used for sweetmeats in its solid form. On the other hand, Chhena is derived from milk curdle with the help of acidic medium of vinegar or lemon. It is boiled till whey separates from solid chunks of curdled milk after which all the whey liquid is drained, and we get Chhena separated. Both are pretty easy to make at home. Interestingly Khoya and Chhena have their own delicacies and so many recipes to choose from, especially desserts. Here are a few examples..
Khoya
Khoya Barfi
Mava Gujiya
Khoya Parantha
Peda
Shikampuri Veg Mava Kebab
Mava Tikki
Chhena
Rasgulla
Cham Cham
Sandesh
Rasmalai
Chhena Murki
Chhena Khurma
There is a long list of items where Chhena and Khoya are used as the primary ingredients, so explore and enjoy the journey of food.
1) In a Select milk pan heat 500 ml milk. Once the milk boils, add 30 ml of cold water to instantly bring down the temperature.
2) Pour in the vinegar while constantly stirring and separating the milk solids from the whey.
3) Strain the paneer/milk curds and properly squeeze out all the liquid. Mix the milk solids with the cornflour to make a fine and smooth dough. Shape the dough into small balls and keep aside.
4)In another milk saucepan, heat around 500 ml of water along with the sugar. Add in 30 ml of rose syrup just to flavour the liquid. Boil the dough balls till they rise to the top and are super soft to the touch.
5)Meanwhile, in another milk pan, heat the remaining 500 ml of milk and chuck in the cardamom pods. Sweeten the milk with rose syrup, add sugar if you want the milk to be extra sweet.
6) Reduce the milk till half and whisk in the blueberry powder.
7) Serve the rasmalai by placing the boiled rasmalai and pouring the milk on top. Garnish with chopped pistachios and raisins.
Expert Tips
A full cream milk is the best for such recipes.
Ensure that kneading of Chhena is done till it is crumble free.
You may use roofafza instead of Rose Syrup.
You can store the Rasmalai for a week in the fridge.
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