Rasmalai in Nolen Gur (Date Palm Jaggery) Syrup

Once you achieve the Rasgulla breakthrough, all other derivables seem like a cake walk! With friends now coming over to learn the procedure and a few others who never forget to mention the soft and cottony Rasgullas they had at my place, I am quite enjoying my Rasgulla fame in Singapore. These Rasmalais were in fact too good to be true. So soft and cottony, drenched in a milk syrup sweetened with Nolen Gur or date palm jaggery (famous in Bengal), I prepared these for my Hubby's colleagues from India. I love sweets and learning to make these were the best thing I ever did!! 😆😆

Ingredients (Makes 16)

For the chenna 

2 ltr low fat milk (I use Farmhouse in Singapore)

2 tbsp vinegar 

For the first sugar syrup

2 1/2 cup water

1 cup sugar

For the ras or milk syrup

1 ltr full cream milk

1/4-1/3 cup nolen gur/date palm jaggert as per your taste (you can substitute this with regular sugar as per your taste)

1 tsp cardamom powder (if not using jaggery)

A pinch of kesar (if not using Jaggery)

Direction 

For the chenna balls

Boil milk in a deep bottom pan and bring to a boil. 

Now add the vinegar and reduce the flame to minimum for a minute and switch it off. The milk will start churning and the chenna will start separating from the whey. 

Now drain the whey and wash the chenna a couple of times with clean drinking water and either tie in a muslin cloth and put a weight to drain for 5 minutes or use a paneer maker. 

After draining the liquid for 10-15 minutes, take the chenna in a bowl or plate wide enough to knead and start kneading. 

Make sure the chenna is crumbly and grainy and not pasty in texture. 

Start kneading using your fingers and the heel of your palm and knead till the mixture starts releasing the fat and your fingers feel oily. 

Meanwhile, heat the sugar and water for the syrup until sugar is dissolved. Make discs from the chenna and make them smooth. Lower the heat to medium and add the discs. Cover and let them double for 12-15 minutes. 

I used a smaller vessel else the discs had more capacity to double. Now take a bowl of clean drinking water and place one disc in the water. If it sinks, they ate cooked and time for the next step. 

Let the discs remain in the drinking water for about 30 minutes while you prepare the ras or milk syrup. 

Heat the milk and bring to a boil. Reduce the flame and thicken the milk until it reduces to half. Add the jaggery/sugar as per your taste and let it dissolve. If ysing sugar, add the saffron/kesar and cardamom powder. You may do this ras one day in advance or even in the beginning of the process which makes it easier. If prepared in advance, bring the milk syrup to slightly warm.

 Gently squeeze out the water from the discs and place in the milk syrup. When it  is cool enough transfer to a serving bowl and chill before serving.