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Ras Malai

Ras Malai is a traditional Indian recipe for a classic chilled dessert of baked ricotta cheese and nuts mixed with spiced and thickened cream. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Indian version of Ras Malai.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

120 minutes

Total Time:

140 minutes

Additional Time:

(+2 hours chilling)

Serves:

6

Rating: 4.5 star rating

Tags : Spice RecipesDessert RecipesMilk RecipesCheese RecipesIndian Recipes


Ingredients:

1kg ricotta cheese
2l single cream
400g sugar
5 cardamom pods, crushed or ground to a powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp rose water
10 saffron threads, crumbled
2 tbsp cashew nuts
1 tbsp blanched almonds
2 tbsp ghee

Method:

In a bowl, beat together the ricotta cheese and 300g of the sugar. Turn this mixture into a flat dish and cover with aluminium foil. Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 200°C and bake for about 70 minutes, or until the cream cheese has hardened and is coloured a pale golden brown.

Remove from the oven and set aside. Pour the cream into a pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Continue simmering gently, stirring frequently, until the volume has reduced by half (about 40 minutes). At this point, stir the remaining sugar into the cream then add the cardamom pods and saffron. Heat for a few minutes to allow the ingredients to infuse the cream then take off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and rose water.

When the cheese is done, remove from the oven and cut into 1cm squares. Stir these into the thickened cream.

In the meantime, combine the blanched almonds, cashew nuts and melted ghee in a bowl. Turn into an oven-proof dish and roast for a few minutes, or until golden brown. Crush the toasted nuts and stir into the cream blend.

Turn the mixture into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve chilled as a dessert.