🍮 Rasmalai

Name: Rasmalai
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: India · West Bengal
Ingredients: 1.5 litres full-fat milk for the cheese, plus 1 litre for the syrup milk; 3 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar; 300 g sugar; 1 litre water; ½ tsp ground cardamom; A pinch of saffron; 20 g pistachios, chopped

Origin: India · West Bengal

375kcal

per serving · 150 g

250kcal

per 100 g

14 gProtein9 g / 100 g

18 gFat12 g / 100 g

42 gCarbs28 g / 100 g

Rasmalai is a Bengali dessert of soft, spongy discs of fresh paneer soaked in chilled, sweetened milk flavoured with cardamom and saffron and topped with chopped pistachios. The dumplings absorb the creamy, fragrant milk and melt in the mouth. It is served cold, especially at festivals, weddings and Diwali.

Diets

✓

Vegetarianno meat or fish in a typical recipe

✓

No pork

✓

Gluten-freeno wheat, barley or rye in a typical recipe

Not veganbecause of: paneer, milk

Contains dairybecause of: paneer, milk

Not keto28 g carbs per 100 g

Allergens

Contains (in a typical recipe):

⚠ Milk ⚠ Tree nuts

What it is made of

paneermilksugarcardamomsaffronpistachios

Recipe

6 servings90 min

Ingredients

1.5 litres full-fat milk for the cheese, plus 1 litre for the syrup milk
3 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar
300 g sugar
1 litre water
½ tsp ground cardamom
A pinch of saffron
20 g pistachios, chopped

Method

Boil 1.5 litres of milk, add the lemon juice to curdle it, then strain the curds through cloth, rinse and hang for 30 minutes.
Knead the curds until smooth and shape into 12 small flat discs.
Boil the water with 200 g sugar, add the discs, cover and cook 15 minutes until doubled in size.
Simmer the remaining milk until reduced by a third, then add 100 g sugar, cardamom and saffron.
Squeeze the discs gently, place them in the warm milk, top with pistachios and chill for at least 4 hours.

How to make it lighter

Serve 1–2 pieces as a portion; they are rich despite their light texture.
Use less sugar in the milk — 1 tbsp sugar ≈ 50 kcal — and let the cardamom and saffron carry the flavour.
Make the syrup milk with semi-skimmed milk for a lighter version.

History

Rasmalai, also written ras malai, comes from the Bengali tradition of fresh-cheese sweets. It is today one of the best-known desserts across India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and in South Asian restaurants abroad.

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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →