Rasmalai - Valentines Day treat

Valentine's day or any day is never elaborately celebrated in our house hold.With a DH who doesn't believe in such worldly events but we know love has to be in the heart and not showcased.But i still do my part to celebrate such days which is from the kitchen!What more than a rich classic dessert to celebrate this year's love day!(btw Love has to be there through the year and not on one day right!)

 Rasmalai is a rich classic Bengali dish which is also popular in Pakistan and Bangladeshi cuisines.It is paneer or cottage cheese rolled and cooked in sugar syrup soaked in rich spiced milk sauce.I made cottage cheese long back after i had some really disgusting experiences with shop got solid packs of paneer.This home made paneer was ofcourse the best i've ever tasted.I even showed my house help and she was surprised how soft home made paneer was.Its not rocket science to make paneer at home check this link out.
Then i dropped my laptop and this recipe was locked in here for a long time.I used this bowl which mom got for me last year and its just the occasion to post it now what say?

Preparation time : 30 minutes

You need

Paneer 200 gms
Rawa semolina 1 tsp
Milk half litre
Sugar 3-4 tablespoons
saffron a generous pinch
Chopped nuts 1 tablespoon
Cardamom seeds 1 tsp
Ghee or oil to grease your hands

For sugar syrup

Water 3 cups
Sugar 5 tablespoons

• Keep the paneer ready at room temperature.In a blender grind it toll smooth and lump free.
• Get the smooth ground paneer on a plate add the rawa and knead well it will initially be crumbly but will gradually come together into a smooth dough like consistency.
• While preparing the paneer dough, in the stove keep water and sugar in a wide mouthed pan, add the cardamom seeds and allow to boil well.
• Once the paneer dough is ready, pinch balls i got around 8 balls flatten them with your fingers in between the palms.Now slide them slowly into the boiling sugar syrup.Cover and allow the paneer balls to cook they should double in size upon cooking.Once they double take this out of the sugar syrup.
• To prepare the milk sauce, bring milk to boil on low flame add sugar, saffron and nuts and allow this to simmer until thick, now add the cooked and strained paneer discs into the milk sauce and turn it off.

Serve rasmalai cooled in the fridge or at room temperature.My daughter loved just the spiced milk and kept drinking it alone.

Happy Valentines day to you all.