Ras Malai (from scratch) Recipe
For NJGal:
4 litres or 1 gallon of whole/homogenized milk
Vinegar or lemon powder
4 cups water
1 cup sugar
2 whole cardamoms
1/2 - 3/4 litres half and half
2 Cardamom (whole)
Kewra
Pistachios
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar (depends on taste)
-
Bring 4 litres of milk to a full boil. Add a quarter teaspoon vinegar or a pinch of lemon powder to the milk so that it curdles (keep adding a little bit more vinegar or lemon powder to the milk if it does not curdle immediately).
-
Strain the milk curds in a cheesecloth to drain the moisture (at least 2 hours). It should not be so dry that it is not knead-able.
-
Knead the milk curds so that it very smooth. You should not be able to feel individual curd grains.
-
Form the ras malai tikyas. Ensure there are no cracks on the surface of the ras malais - it must be totally smooth or it will fall apart in the sugar water/sheera. If the milk curds are too dry, you can add water. If the mixture is too wet add one to two teaspoons all-purpose flour. The curds mixture should yield about 20 ras malais.
-
In a large pot (should be as wide as possible) combine 4 cups water and add one cup sugar and bring it to a rolling boil. Add the ras malais into the sheera - the ras malais should not crowd each other in the pot. It’s okay if you have to do this in two batches (add more water if the sheera has thickened) - the key is that the ras malais not break apart in the sheera. Allow the ras malais to cook in the sheera for about 20-25 minutes.
-
While the ras malais are boiling in the sheera, bring the 1/2 to 3/4 litre of half and half cream to a boil, add the whole cardamoms, a few drops of kewra and sugar to suit your taste. This should take about 15-20 minutes.
-
Once the ras malais have cooked in the sheera for the required time, carefully transfer each ras malai (without the sheera) from the sheera to the milk mixture. There is no need to “cook” the ras malai any longer. If you wish, remove the whole cardamom from the milk mixture before adding the ras malais.
-
Cool in refrigerator and serve with crushed pistachios on top.
Should make about 20-22 ras malais.
