Happy moments are incomplete without sharing a dessert with friends and family. My husband and I recently celebrated our daughter’s graduation from the UBC School of Nursing. There was no graduation ceremony as the university canceled all classes and other activities due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. When her practicum ended last week she was informed that she was officially a nurse now. So to celebrate this milestone we ordered pizza (that’s what she wanted), and I made rasmalai for dessert. My daughter doesn’t have a sweet tooth but she can always make an exception for rasmalai.
For those who may not know, Rasmalai is a dessert, consisting of Indian cottage cheese cakes doused in sweetened milk infused with different exotic flavors like cardamom, rosewater, saffron, and kewra. Traditionally the cheese cakes are prepared in the same way as rasgulla using chenna (another name for paneer) but i ‘ll be giving you the recipe with ricotta cheese. The paneer making process involves curdling heated milk using lemon juice or vinegar and then separating chenna by draining in a muslin cloth. The well-drained chenna is kneaded by hand or in a food processor with little flour to get a smooth texture and then rolled into balls. The balls are lightly cooked in sugar syrup and they double in size. Once cooled they are then gently pressed to squeeze off the excess sugar syrup and placed into sweetened flavored milk and topped off with slivered almonds and pistachios. The soft chenna cakes absorb the sweetened milk and the fragrant flavors, making it incredibly indulgent.
Rasmalai wasn’t a homemade dessert I grew up eating as a child; it always came out ready-made from a box. Even in Canada, you can find rasmalai easily in Indian sweet shops and in the freezer section of big grocery stores carrying international food items. But the problem is all of the commercial brands contain wheat so making my own was the best thing. Back in 2011 I found a recipe on ‘life scoops’ that caught my eye. She has made it with ricotta cheese. It sounded interesting and I tried. It turned out delicious. Since then I am making rasmalai with ricotta cheese but with a simpleglutenfreekitchen twist of water bath method. It is not only easy to make but you will notice that it looks and tastes every bit like the original. I guarantee compliments when you serve this fantastic dessert to friends. So here’s my take on this mouthwatering delight!
Also called Screw pine essence
To start off, make the ricotta cakes first. Since ricotta falls in the same category as paneer, that can be heated without melting, it is a perfect choice for making rasmalai. You’ll need boiling water to bake the ricotta cheese cakes so place a kettle of water on stove and bring it to boil.
Mix ricotta cheese and milk powder in a bowl (not all ricotta cheese are gluten free) and spike it with ground cardamom and icing sugar. You can whip it with a spoon but I like to use the food processor and pulse (a few times) to make the mixture slightly smooth (don’t make into a paste). Once the mixture is ready, spoon it into silicon cups or small ramekins. Set them in a deep baking dish. Pour boiling water until it comes about halfway up the sides of the baking cups. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the tops are completely set. Alternatively, you can spoon the mixture in muffin tray and set a tray of hot water at the bottom of the oven. The steam from the oven bake the ricotta cheese cakes slowly and evenly (If the water level runs low halfway before it is done cooking, add more hot water).
You can also bake the ricotta cheese cake for rasmalai in a 2″ deep baking pan instead if you do not have a muffin tray or silicon cups. Then cut the baked ricotta into squares or desired shapes and soak in reduced fragrant milk. Choose whichever method suits you. My preference is the one with direct immersion in water because it cooks the cheese without browning the top and the sides (look below).
I recommend that you make rasmalai at least a day or few hours before serving because it tastes better after sitting in the fridge.
I hope you try and enjoy this recipe as much as we do and make it for your friends, too. And when you make don’t forget to take a picture so you can share and tag me with @simpleglutenfreekitchen or #simpleglutenfreekitchen on Facebook or Instagram.
Ricotta cakes soaked in sweetened milk, flavored with kewra and cardamom, topped with slivered nuts and pistachios.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Gluten free fresh ricotta, drained if liquidy
- 2 -4 tbsp skimmed milk powder
- 6 green cardamoms, powdered with shell (divided)
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- Ghee butter or oil for greasing
- boiling water
- 2 litre whole milk
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- Saffron (optional)
- 5 drops of kewra essence
- Handful of slivered almonds and pistachios
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Mix sugar, milk powder, and half of the ground cardamom with ricotta cheese very well with a spoon or in the food processor.
- Spoon in 2 ½ tablespoons of the mixture into silicon cups or small ramekins.
- Set them in a 9×13" pan and place in an oven preheated to 350 degrees. Pour boiling water into the baking dish until it reaches halfway up the sides of the silicon cups ( Avoid splashing water into cheesecakes).
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until set.
- Remove the cheesecake cups from the water bath using wide spatula or baking gloves (let water in the baking pan cool to room temp before taking it out of the oven).
- To unmold, simply invert when completely cooled.
- Grease the muffin pan with vegetable oil or butter ( Do not skip greasing even if it is nonstick).
- Spoon 2 1/2 tbsp ricotta mixture into muffin holes. Place it on middle rack.
- On the lower rack put a pan of hot water.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes.
- The cheese cakes are ready when the edges become slightly browned and they no longer jiggle in the center. Let it cool for 15 minutes.
- Then run a butter knife along the edge and remove the pieces very carefully. They tend to be very delicate and may break easily. (works better if it is a good non-stick tray or the silicon cups).
- While the bake is ongoing, heat the milk in a thick bottomed pan.
- Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and continue to cook stirring occasionally, clearing the sides and the bottom all the while until the milk is reduced to about 2/3rd. The milk does not need to reduce too much. It should be thin enough to get soaked into the ricotta pieces.
- Then, add in the sugar and the remaining half of the ground cardamom, mix and cook for another couple of minutes.
- Add kewra essence or saffron (if using, I use 2-3 threads just to give a little color to the milk) slivered nuts (retain some for garnish) and turn off the heat. Allow the milk to cool.
- Arrange the cooled baked ricotta cheesecakes in a shallow serving dish, pour the cooled milk mixture and cool for a few hours in the refrigerator.
- Serve garnished with the slivered almonds and pistachios.
Notes
You could make the milk mixture and the ricotta cheese cakes at least 3 - 4 days in advance. Store them separately. Assemble them the day you would like to serve them, so they don't be too soggy or break apart.
Adjust the quantity of sugarto suit your taste, you don't have to add the exact amount mentioned in the recipe, you could make it more sweeter.
You can choose any flavors - cardamom, saffron, kewra, rosewater or even vanilla extract
To save some time on making malai, you could also use evaporated milk or condensed milk and dilute it with enough whole milk or half and half, until you get the desired consistency and sweetness.
Tarnjit
Hi Neetu,
My heartfelt congratulations to you and your daughter on her graduation!! What a great milestone! And a noble profession, especially at this time.
The rasmalai looks mouth watering delicious. It must have been eaten up in a flash. I didn’t know about baking ras in silicone cups immersed in water to prevent browning the top – clever idea. I was intrigued to learn about Kewra essence too. Yum, yum, yum!
Balvinder
Thanks for the congratulations, darling! I’ll also pass it on to Kiran.
Kewra is wonderful in cream or milk based desserts so I couldn’t resist adding a few drops. Those silicon cups are great for baking and steaming. I even use to make idlis.
angiesrecipes
Congratulations to your daughter and your family! The ricotta dessert looks so beautiful and yummy…a new one to me…hopefully I can get to make or taste it some day 🙂
Balvinder
Thank you dear Angie!
Wish I cud share it with you:)
Monika Dabrowski
What an interesting dessert. I love ricotta so this is really my kind of dessert. And congratulations to your daughter! shame there was no graduation ceremony.
Balvinder
Thank you Monika!
Corona Virus left no choice for Universities but to cancel everything.
evi erlinda
Congratulations to your daughter ! Being a nurse is a great commitment!
This dessert must very special treat for her!
Staying well!
Balvinder
Thank you dear Evi! It is a commitment indeed. She decided to be in this profession when she was working as a volunteer in children’s hospital.
Healthy
Congratulations to your daughter! I know mom that you are very worried. She is a brand new nurse and now has to navigate her way around the hospital in a crisis. I understand more than you will ever know as I have one on the front lines too. In the mean time, your delicious recipes are going to be one of the main highlights of her day. Stay well and strong.
Balvinder
Thank you Bobby, will pass your congratulations to my daughter.
I am still in disbelief though that she is a nurse now.
priya
congratulations to your daughter 🙂 and yeah This is my kind of dessert. btw how do you get the idea of using ricotta cheese in rasmalai? I am amazed 🙂
Swati
Never knew we can use ricotta to make Rasmalai ..next time in store visit will get a pack of ricotta to try it.. congratulations to your daughter and proud parents!!
Balvinder
Thank you, Swati! There are many types of ricotta but the Fresh ricotta somehow works in this recipe.
Abbe@This is How I Cook
Congratulations to your daughter. Such tough times for her and no graduation. This sounds like a great way to celebrate and though I know it’s not the same as a ceremony and party, please give her my congrats. We so need nurses right now. What a worthy profession.
Alida@mylittleitaliankitchen
Many congratulations to your daughter! A great opportunity for a celebration and being a nurse is one of the most important jobs that can be which finally has been recognized with our present times. Lovely dessert with those interesting flavours. Keep well and safe x
Kelly | Foodtasia
Congratulations to your daughter! Such a scary time to be on the front lines. Those risking their own health to keep the rest of us safe are truly heroes.
This rasmalai looks wonderful. I’ve never had it, but with all those wonderful flavors, I can’t wait to try it!
Evi
I am really intrigued to try this recipe, never had anything with kewra before. I think I could make a vegan version of it, can’t wait to try 🙂
Juliana
Oh Balvinder, congratulations on your daughter graduation…awesome accomplishment!
Now, this dessert looks out of this world…love the idea of using ricotta cheese…yum!
Have a great weekend and stay safe!
Jeff the Chef
I always love the interesting and new-to-me foods that you present on your site, and this is no exception.
Laura
I love to learn about foods I’d never heard of. This sounds so special and delicious. And I love the idea of using ricotta cheese, as it’s easy to find. And congratulations to your daughter on her graduation! Such a fun time of life!