RASAGULLA AND RASMALAI

Ingredients (Makes about 45-50 paneer balls)

• Half n Half milk for rasmalai (2 Quart=1.8 litres)
• 1 gallon whole milk (to make paneer balls)
• 4 green limes to curdle milk
• 1 cup sugar ( 1 cup sugar to 6 cup water for making sugar syrup)
• slivered almonds(15-20)
• 1/4 tsp saffron
• 6 cardamoms
• 1-2 tsp of rose water to put in rasgulla syrup.
• Lots of patience and 3 large vessels :)
  

Method
How to make paneer balls

• In a deep vessel, bring one gallon of milk to a boil
• Keep juice of 4 limes ready. When the milk comes to a boil, turn off the heat and add lemon juice slowly while stirring the milk gently.
• When the cheese (curd/paneer) seperates and the water runs clear, add a bowl of ice cubes to stop further curdling. This allows you to make soft cheese/paneer.
• Let it rest for 5 minutes and then drain it on to a clean thin cloth. Tie and bundle the paneer into the cloth and hang it for about 20-25 minutes. At this point you want the paneer to be soft and not soggy.
• Take a clean napkin and lay it on the table. Take the paneer bundle and slowly but firmly dab it with the clean napkin from all sides. This serves two purpose - this action removes excess moisture as well as helps to smoothen the paneer.
• Remove the paneer onto your working sheet and knead gently to smoothen it roughly for 2 minutes.Make round balls with the size you want, keeping in mind that they will double in size after being cooked.

• In a large vessel, bring sugar water syrup to a boil ( 6 cup water to 1 cup sugar) and add about 2 cardamom pods for added flavor.After the syrup starts boiling vigorously, add the paneer balls and close lid . You need to make sure all the paneer balls should be covered completely in syrup while cooking. Cook on a medium flame for about 7-8 minutes.
• Slowly open the lid and spoon out the still soft balls into a vessel.Add enough syrup to the vessel so that the balls do not dry out. After every batch of paneer balls are cooked, add some water to the sugar syrup so that liquid level does not go down. Make all balls in this manner.
• Take some of the sweet syrup and place the cooked paneer balls in it so as they do not dry out. When the ras malai is ready, squeeze gently but firmly the water from the balls and place it in the ras malai.
• Sprinkle some saffron for flavor and color.
• Add slivered almonds for taste.
• For rasgulla, take out the cooked paneer balls with sugar syrup and place it in a bowl.
• Add 1-2 tsp rose water to rasgulla syrup for added flavor.
• Rasgullas and rasmalai are to be served chilled.

How to make Ras Malai

• Slow heat 2 quart of half and half mik for hour and half, so that milk thickens. (milk quantity would reduce approximately by one quarter to half)
• Add sugar as per taste.
• Add 6 grounded cardamoms .