Easy Holi Sweet Recipe: Here’s how to make thandai rasmalai in simple steps

Swasti Agarwal, chief food strategist at Foodhall, teaches us how to make thandai rasmalai in simple steps for Holi.

The festival of Holi means loads and loads of colourful fun, as well as gorging on yummy savoury and sweet foods and downing glass after glass of refreshing thandai that is traditionally prepared on the festival. It’s a milk based drink and is extremely popular in North Indian states, especially during Holi and Mahashivratri. The drink is laced with bhaang- a traditional preparation of cannabis- a little happy high that adds even more colour to this already extremely colourful festival.

But what if you combined the thandai with your favourite sweet rasmalai? Sound yumm, doesn’t it? We have for you this easy-to-make recipe of a delicious thandai rasmalai, that promises to win you a lot of praise from your guests this Holi. The recipe has been recommended by Chef Swasti Agarwal, who is the chief food strategist of  the premium lifestyle and gourmet food superstore Foodhall. ALSO READ: Here’s how to make besan pinnis and suji, gur ka halwa!

Thandai Rasmalai Recipe

Preparation time: 30 mins; Cooking time: 45 mins; Serves: 6-8 people

Ingredients for Thandai

1.5 lit full fat milk/ whole milk
50 gms almond s
20 gms cashew nuts
12 gms pistachio
1 & ½ tablespoon poppy seeds (khuskhus)
1 & ½ tablespoon watermelon seeds (magaj)
1 & ½ tablespoon fennel seeds
6 gms green cardamom
1 teaspoon black peppercorn
Few strands of saffron
2-3 tablespoon rose water
300 gms grain sugar

Method

1. Soak the almond, cashew, pistachio, poppy seeds and watermelon seeds together for 5 -6 hours (remove the almond skin once it is soaked. Add all the soaked nuts to a blender & grind well to smooth fine paste and keep aside.
2. Dry roast the black peppercorn, fennel and cardamom till they emit fragrance. Transfer the roasted spices to a grinder and blend to fine powder and keep aside. ALSO READ: Easy Sweet Pongal Recipe: Here’s how to make traditional Sweet Pongal to celebrate the harvest festival
3. Bring the milk to boil in a thick bottomed pan and simmer till it reduces to a thick milk consistency.
4. Add the sugar and saffron strands to the hot milk & mix gently to dissolve the sugar and refrigerate.
5. Add the nut paste and roasted spice powder along with rose essence to the milk and refrigerate till further use.

Ingredients for Rasmalai

1 liter Full cream buffalo milk
3-4 tablespoon white vinegar (to curdle the milk)
1 teaspoon refined flour
2 cups grain sugar
7-8 cups of water (for sugar syrup & vinegar solution for curdling milk)

Method

1. Bring the milk to boil in a large vessel and boil for 4-5 mins.
2. Dilute the vinegar with 2-3 cups of water and slowly add to the simmering milk. Add more water-vinegar mix to the milk if required to curdle completely. Once the entire milk solid (Chhenna) is separated from the light yellowish green whey, add a few ice cubes and 2-3 cup water to prevent the chhenna from cooking further.
3. Strain all the chhenna and wash it under running water to remove traces of vinegar. Gather it in a piece of cheesecloth and hang for 2-3 hours to remove excess water. ALSO READ: Best Sanjeev Kapoor Dessert Recipes: How to make Rasmalai Mousse and Coconut jaggery cakes
4. Transfer to a flat container & knead with soft hand for 10 mins to get a uniform mixture. Add the refined flour and knead for another 5-6 mins to get smooth and soft dough.
5. Divide into 15-20 small dumpling balls and shape each into a smooth round flat patty/ ball with no visible cracks on the surface, can stuff with chopped dry fruits.
6. Add the 2 cups sugar along with 5 cups water & bring to boil, boil for 5 mins before adding the chhenna balls.
7. Boil & cook till the balls are half immersed in the syrup. Once the rasgullas are cooked, they will submerge in the sugar syrup.

Assembly

Gently squeeze the rasgullas to remove excess sugar water. Then drop them into the chilled Thandai milk base. Refrigerate and serve chilled, garnished with slivered almond and pistachio.

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