Orange Rasmalai
Orange Rasmalai is a citrus-bright twist on classic rasmalai, where milk is curdled with fresh orange juice and vinegar instead of the usual lemon to make soft chenna. The chenna discs are cooked in sugar syrup, then soaked in orange-flavoured milk and chilled for hours until they soak up all the flavour. Garnished with dry fruits, it's a refreshing party dessert.
Ingredients
- Water — 5 cup (whole)
- Milk — 3000 ml (whole)
- sugar — 5.5 cup (whole)
- dry fruits (optional) (whole)
- Baking Soda (Food Grade Sodium Bicarbonate) — 1 pinch (whole)
- orange — 3.5 piece (chopped)
- orange juice — 1 cup (whole)
- arrowroot flour — 2 tbsp (ground)
- Vinegar (White) — 2 tbsp (whole)
Method
- To begin making the Orange Rasmalai, heat about 700 ml of the milk in a heavy bottom pan. When it comes to a rolling boil, add the orange juice and white vinegar and stir gently till the milk curdles fully and the whey turns clear.
- Turn off the heat and rest for 3 to 4 minutes, then strain the curdled milk through a clean muslin cloth. Rinse the chenna under water to wash off the sourness, gather the cloth and hang it for about 30 minutes so the whey drains out and you get firm chenna.
- Meanwhile, pour the remaining 300 ml milk into a heavy pan and simmer on medium heat, stirring often, till it thickens slightly. Add a few spoons of the sugar and the zest and juice squeezed from part of the orange, simmer for 2 minutes, then pour this orange soaking milk into a wide serving bowl and keep aside.
- Place the drained chenna on a plate, add the arrowroot flour and the pinch of baking soda, and knead with the heel of your palm for 8 to 10 minutes till it turns smooth and soft with no grains.
- Divide the chenna into 12 to 15 equal balls and flatten each one slightly into a disc.
- Heat the water with the remaining sugar in a wide pressure cooker and stir till the sugar dissolves. When it comes to a rolling boil, slide in the chenna discs, cover, put the weight on and cook for 2 whistles on high heat.
- Release the pressure immediately under running water, open the lid and let the puffed discs cool for a few minutes. Gently press out the extra syrup and slip the discs into the orange soaking milk.
- Chill the rasmalai in the fridge for 5 to 6 hours so the discs soak up the milk. Garnish with fresh orange segments and slivered dry fruits before serving.
Common questions
- How many calories in one plate of Orange Rasmalai?
- 577 kcal per plate.
- How much cooking time?
- 115 min — 25 min prep, 90 min cooking.