Welcome to My Kitchen

I started cooking 20 years ago, and every day has been a new experience. You might not believe it but i was a person who could not fry an egg...but 20 years on..i feel i can take on any challenge.

I'm constantly trying out new recipes and looking for innovative ways to improvise my dishes and make it more easier. The easier the cooking gets and the less time it takes the more time for me to relax with my loved one.
But easy and quick does not mean compromise on taste or the way a dish is presented. I take great pride in decorating my dishes as i am a firm believer of ' The first impression counts'.

I decided to start this blog to help others like me discover that cooking a feast does not require slogging for hours in the kitchen all it requires is the right ingredients, tools and a creative mind and voila! you will have your family and guests begging for second helpings....

My inspiration for cooking has always been my husband...he loves his food..and like the saying goes 'A way to a man's heart is through his stomach'..i can confidently say it's true and it works wonders for a happy relationship...but he is also my best critic and competition.

I've got two little girls both who love to eat, and my eldest always enjoys helping me in the kitchen. I will try to post more kid friendly recipes that can be fun to eat and make together.

Hope you enjoy this blog and find it useful...please do feel free to leave any feedback or comments...remember there's always room for improvement!!!

Monday, 18 February 2013

Ras Malai


Ras Malai is a Bengali dessert consisting of soft paneer balls immersed in chilled creamy,sweet, flavoured milk.



Ingredients

For Ras Malai balls
·         4 cups milk
·         1/4 cup lemon juice
·         1 1/2 cups sugar
·         4 1/2 cups water

For the Milk Mixture
·         3 cups of milk
·         2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar (according to your taste)
·         2 cardamom pods
·         1-2 tbsp sliced almonds and pistachios to garnish

Method

1. Mix lemon juice in half a cup of hot water and keep aside.
2. Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently making sure milk does not burn .
3. As the milk comes to a boil, add the lemon juice slowly and stir the milk gently. The curd will start separating from the whey, turn off the heat.
4. Once the milk fat has separated from the whey, drain the whey using a strainer line with cheesecloth or muslin cloth.
5. Wrap the curd in a muslin cloth, rinse under cold water, and squeeze well. 
6. To take out the excess water squeeze the cloth, or press the wrapped paneer under a heavy pan for about one hour. 
7. To check if enough water is out of the paneer, take a little piece of paneer on your palm and rub with your fingers. After rubbing the paneer for about 15-20 seconds, you should be able to make a firm but smooth ball.
8. If the paneer is too dry, add a few drops of water, using the water squeezed from the paneer.
9. Once the paneer is drained, place on a dry, clean surface and knead the paneer for 3-4 minutes until the paneer is almost rolls into smooth soft dough.
10. Knead the paneer in the palm of your hand,keep scooping it back to together and knead more. Your palm will be little greasy.
11. Divide the dough into 12 equal parts and roll them in smooth balls, lightly flatten.
12. Mix the sugar and water in a pressure cooker on medium high heat and bring to a boil.
13. Add the paneer balls and close the pressure cooker. After the pressure cooker starts steaming, turn the heat to medium and cook for about seven minutes. The paneer balls will have doubled in size.
14. Turn off the heat and wait a few minutes before opening the pressure cooker. 
15. Take out the balls from the syrup and squeeze them lightly,and keep aside.
16. Boil the milk in a frying pan on medium heat until the milk reduce to about 2 cups.
17. Make sure to frequently stir the milk so it does not burn.
18. Add the sugar and the Ras malai balls in milk. Let it cook for few minutes.
19. Add the cardamom and mix in. Once it boils, turn off the heat. Garnish with sliced almonds and pistachios.
20. Serve the Ras malai chilled.

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