Rose Rasmalai

Rasmalai is my all time favorite dessert. It's a milky, spongy, delightful, sweet dish served chilled in clay pots in North-India. It is usually made of cheese curd/chenna, but I've added a little twist to my recipe. I'll be using grape-sized balls of Cottage Cheese instead of Cheese Curd, with a Cream Cheese and Coconut Milk Bath instead of plain runny milk, and Rose Flavor instead of just Saffron.

Instead of the traditional yellow color, I've tried to make my cottage cheese balls of bright pink color to match the theme and flavors of this recipe. It has versatile textures and flavors and also looks very colorful, vibrant, and appetizing. When you bite into the tiny soft yet spongy balls, the rosy-saffron sweet cheesy milk oozes out to give a burst of flavor.

If you are fond of Roses, then making this recipe at home sounds like a great idea. The aroma of roses will linger around your home for a while setting up a fresh, floral, dewy vibe.

Being my original creation, I don't think you would find this recipe anywhere else on the internet. Throughout this Instructable, I've tried to put as many substitutes or tips so that everyone can make this recipe with basic ingredients effortlessly.

I'm sure this will be a memorable recipe when you try it. Here is how you can make Rose Rasmalai at home yourself.

Supplies

COOKING INGREDIENTS FOR ROSE RASMALAI

Cheese Balls

• Cottage Cheese or Paneer - 200 gm

Rose Syrup

• Rose Syrup - 4 tbsps. or 60 ml
• Cardamoms - 4-5 pods
• Water- 1.5 glasses or 300 ml
• Sugar - 3 tbsps. or 40 g

Cheese-Milk Base

• Cream Cheese - 3-5 tbsps. or 15-75 gm
• Sugar - 1 tbsp. or 12 g
• Full Fat Cow Milk - 1 glass or 250 ml
• Saffron Strands - 1 tsp
• Shredded Desiccated Coconut - 5 tbsps. or 20 gm
• Vanilla Custard Powder - 1 tbsp.

Garnishing

• Edible Dried Rose Petals (Preferably Red) - 1 tbsp.
• Almonds - 6-8
• Saffron Strands -1 tsp

COOKING EQUIPEMENTS OR UTENSILS FOR ROSE RASMALAI

• Plates - 2-3
• Sharp Knife - 1
• Mixing Bowls - 1-2
• Steel Sauce Pan/Tea Pan - 1-2
• Hand Whisk -1
• Small bowls - 1-2
• Kitchen Slicer - 1
• Cling Film/Plastic Sheet - 1
• Mixer/Grinder/Food Processor - 1
• Cooking Gas Stove/ Induction Cook Stove - 1
• Kitchen Weighing Scale -1
• Spoon -1-2

Step 1: Chop Chop

1. So, we will start off with the Cottage Cheese. I have taken 200 g of packaged Cottage Cheese here.
2. Take a sharp knife and chop the Cottage Cheese into small cubes as shown in the picture.

Note: If you don't have packaged Cottage Cheese then take 2 glasses of full fat cow milk, add 1 tbsp. of vinegar to it, and bring it to boil while continuously stirring it. When the milk curdles, strain off the excess water and then lay out the remains on a muslin cloth. Tie up the muslin cloth to make a small bundle for a day and let the excess water drip off. Make sure you keep this bundle in the refrigerator so that the milk parts don't spoil. Your Cottage Cheese is ready to use.

Step 2: Mash and Ball

1. Grind the cottage cheese cubes in a mixer/grinder/food processor and form a smooth and consistent crumble mix with thick consistency.
2. Form a giant ball out of these white crumbles as shown in the picture.

Note: By any chance if you don't have a mixer/grinder/food processor then use a cheese grater to break the cottage cheese into small pieces. Then knead the pieces on a rolling board to make a smooth and consistent paste. Then perform step 2.

Step 3: Roll and Ball

1. Take out small amounts of the cottage cheese mix and roll it between your fingers, applying very gentle pressure, to form grape-sized balls with a smooth texture (refer to the picture above).
2. Cover these balls with cling film and set aside.

Note: The cottage cheese mix won't stick on your palms so you don't need to grease your hands. Plus, the sizes and shapes don't have to be precisely uniform but small enough.

Step 4: Make Syrup

1. Take 1.5 glasses or 300 ml of water in a tea pan or saucepan and bring it to boil.
2. To this add 3 tbsps. or 40 g of sugar.
3. Open 4-5 cardamom pods, and add them all in the saucepan.
4. Finally add 4 tbsps. or 60 ml of Rose Syrup or Roof Afzah (as we call it locally here) and give it all a good mix.
5. Cook for 1-2 minutes on medium flame till everything gets combined.

Step 5: Dip and Soak

It's time to bring in the Cottage Cheese balls now.

1. Add in the cottage cheese balls to the rose syrup mix one by one very carefully.
2. Stir the mix once or twice and let these cook for 5 minutes.
3. Once done, turn off the gas and let this cool.
4. Keep this mix in the refrigerator for a 6-8 hours until the Cottage Cheese balls absorb the flavors and color of the rose-cardamom water.

Note: Be very careful while adding in the Cottage Cheese Balls and stirring them because they can break open. Don't stir or disturb this concussion too much.

Step 6: Make Saffron Milk

While the balls are getting chilled, prepare the next half of the recipe by making the saffron milk. For this,

1. Take 1 glass or 250 ml of full fat cow Milk in a saucepan or tea pan.
2. Add 1 pinch of Saffron to it.
3. Then add 1 tbsp. of Sugar.
4. Then add 5 tbsps. of Shredded Desiccated Coconut to it.
5. Finally add 1 tbsp. of Vanilla Custard Powder and stir the mix well.
6. Turn on the stove, and let the milk boil for 3-5 min on medium flame.
7. Once done, take off the saucepan from the stove, bring it to room temperature, and chill this mix in the refrigerator for 1 hour atleast.

Step 7: Make It Cheesy

Once the saffron milk is chilled enough, we can move on to the next part of the recipe. For that,

1. Take a mixing bowl, and add 3-5 tbsps. of cream cheese to it.
2. Whisk it with a hand whisk to smoothen it out and deform the lumps.
3. Add small quantities of saffron milk (3-4 tbsps.) and whisk this mix continuously for a minute.
4. Keep on adding the saffron milk in small quantities and small intervals till everything combines.
5. Once done, keep this mix in the refrigerator.

Note: Using chilled saffron milk is better than using a warm or hot one because the milk can curdle up and ruin the recipe. Also, it tastes better!

Step 8: Strain Rosy Balls

1. Remove the rosy balls mix from refrigerator and discard the syrup/water.
2. Keep the balls in a separate bowl and keep aside.
3. The balls must be bright pink in color and the syrup may have lost half of its color.

Note: You will see some white debris in the syrup but not to worry, it is the fat from the cottage cheese that is collected and frozen on the top of the syrup.

Step 9: Crush Rose

Take 1 tbsp. of Edible Dried Rose Petals. Crush it with your fingers into tiny bits as shown in the picture and keep aside.

Note: Using Red or Pink Rose Petals will make the dish look very pretty. But you can use other colored rose petals if you want.

Step 10: Slice Amonds

Take a multipurpose kitchen slicer and slice 6-8 almond pieces by carefully slicing them against the slicing edge. Set aside.

Note: Be extra cautious while performing this step as you may cut your finger. So be gentle and careful. You can use any other nuts or a combination of nuts like Pistachios, Walnuts or Cashews if you don't like Almonds.

Step 11: Assemble

1. Remove the Cheese-Saffron milk from the regriferator and transfer it in a serving dish.
2. Add in the Cottage Cheese Balls.
3. Sprinkle a few strands of Saffron and Sliced Almond bits on the top.
4. Finish it off with a few bits of crushed Rose Petals.

Step 12: Dig In

This recipe will serve 4-5 people. So make it on festivals or special occasions and enjoy with your whole family or special guests. Keep in mind to serve it chilled. Thank me later ;)