Sweets and desserts
Ras malai
Soft discs of chhena soaked in sweet, thickened milk with cardamom, saffron and pistachio, served chilled.
Ras malai is flattened discs of chhena, cooked in syrup like rasgulla, then squeezed and soaked in milk that has been simmered down until thick and sweetened, flavoured with cardamom and saffron and scattered with pistachio and almond. It is served chilled. Ras means juice and malai means cream.
What goes in
- Chhena528%, Shaped into discs.
- Full-fat milk844%, Reduced until thick.
- Sugar317%, Syrup and milk.
- Cardamom and saffron16%, Fragrance and colour.
- Pistachio and almond16%, Slivered.
Rough parts by weight. The ring shows each ingredient's share of the dish.
Made step by step
Each drawing shows the operation for that step. Quantities and timings differ from house to house; this is one traditional way, in outline.
Step 1: Knead Make chhena and knead it smooth. Step 2: Knead Shape into small balls and flatten into discs. Step 3: Simmer Cook in boiling syrup until they swell. Step 4: Simmer Meanwhile simmer milk with sugar, cardamom and saffron until thick. Step 5: Layer Squeeze the discs gently and drop them into the warm milk. Step 6: Rest Chill for several hours and serve with nuts on top. Finished Ras malai, by share.
From Bengal outward
Many accounts place the origin of ras malai with the sweet makers of Bengal, who were masters of chhena, though the exact story is disputed. Comilla in Bangladesh has a famous version of its own, with small chhena balls in a thick, reduced milk. The sweet spread throughout India and Pakistan and is now a standard at weddings, Diwali and Eid.
Milk and patience
The milk must be simmered for a long time, stirred often, until it reduces to about half and turns creamy. The chhena discs are cooked in syrup, cooled, then gently pressed to remove syrup so they absorb the milk. They soak for several hours in the fridge. The finished sweet should be soft enough to cut with a spoon.
Where it is used
The cheeses in it
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Sources and further reading
Original text and drawings by the EveryCheese desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. The shares are a rough, illustrative ratio, not a recipe: every family and kitchen makes it differently. If we have something wrong, tell us.