Whats Cooking?

We Indians are known for our festivals, and the food thats prepared during festivals. Actually, our everyday food in itself is celebration! Who else puts dollops of desi ghee on aloo de parathe for breakfast?! And our sweets.... aaye haaye haaye haayeee! Masha allah! Though I don't have a lot of sweet tooth teeth myself, I enjoy like... half a rasmalai once in a while. But this dish is a hit with a lot of Indians, and I think even if you're not, you'd still enjoy making it and/or eating it, as much as I did! Here's the recipe, courtesy this:

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Ingredients:

1 liter milk
1 cup cream
2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
5 tablespoons sugar
3 cups water
1 tablespoon cardamom powder
5-6 almonds, diced very thinly
6-7 saffron strands

Method:

1. Boil the milk, turn the gas to sim, and squeeze fresh lemon juice. Keep sitrrig for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the gas.
2. Strain the water and put solids (curds/risotto cheese/paneer/whatever you want to call it) in a thin cotton (or muslin) cloth and tie it very tightly. Hang it onto something so that excess water drips away.
3. After 1/2 hour, untie the cloth and knead the paneer.
4. Make small balls, and flatten them. Set aside.

To make the sugar syrup:
5. In a sauce pan boil 3 cups of water and sugar together.
6. When it starts to boil, drop in the flattened paneer balls.
7. Transfer them into a flat bowl type vessel (intended for use in a pressure cooker), cover it and place it in the cooker. Close it with whistle on and keep it on sim for 15 minutes.
8. In another pan boil the cream, 2 cups of milk and saffron strands. Add 5 tablespoon of sugar.
9. Keep stirring on sim for 15 minutes until the milk becomes thick.
10. Now take out the paneer balls from the sugar syrup and add them in the pan. Simmer for another 15 minutes on low heat.
11. Place the milk rasmalai in a bowl, sprinkle cardamom powder and almond flakes and refrigerate.
12. Serve cold.

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This made 10 rasmalais, which is enough for 3-4 people. Waise to yeh Diwali pe khaaskar banti hai, but we don't really need a reason to eat sweets do we? :) Enjoy!