The festival of Basant Panchami is dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, the deity of knowledge, wisdom, and arts. On this day, the color yellow is prevalent everywhere, considered a symbol of prosperity and knowledge. Yellow sweets are also offered to Goddess Saraswati as prasad (offering) on ​​the occasion of Basant Panchami.

This year, Basant Panchami will be celebrated on January 23rd. For the offering, you can make saffron rasmalai. It is delicious and quite easy to prepare. Let's learn an easy recipe for making rasmalai at home.

Ingredients
Milk - 2 liters (1 liter for paneer, 1 liter for rabri)
Sugar - 1.5 cups (for syrup and rabri)
Saffron - 15-20 strands (soaked in milk)
Lemon juice or vinegar - 2 tablespoons (for curdling the milk)
Cardamom powder - 1 teaspoon
Nuts - finely chopped almonds and pistachios (for garnish)
Cornflour - 1 teaspoon (optional, for binding)

Instructions
First, boil 1 liter of milk. Once the milk boils, turn off the heat and let it cool for 2 minutes. Now, gradually add the lemon juice or vinegar. When the milk curdles completely and the whey separates, strain it through a muslin cloth.

Then, wash the paneer with cold water to remove the sourness of the lemon. Now, squeeze the cloth and hang it for 30-40 minutes to drain the excess water.

Next, heat 1 liter of milk in a heavy-bottomed pan. Boil it until it reduces to half its original quantity. Add half a cup of sugar, cardamom powder, and the saffron-infused milk. Stir occasionally so that the cream doesn't stick to the sides. Once the milk thickens, turn off the heat. Remember, the rabri shouldn't be too thick, otherwise, the rasmalai won't be able to absorb it. Now, transfer the paneer (fresh cheese) to a plate and knead it with your palms for 5-7 minutes until it becomes smooth and soft like mawa (reduced milk solids). Then, add a teaspoon of cornflour and make small balls, flattening them slightly. Make sure there are no cracks in them.

Now, in a wide pan, combine 4 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar and bring it to a boil. Once the syrup starts boiling, add the prepared paneer balls. Cover and cook on high heat for 15-20 minutes. You will notice that the rasmalai balls have doubled in size. Now, remove them and place them in cold water, then gently press them to remove the excess syrup.

Finally, add these prepared paneer balls to the warm saffron-flavored rabri (thickened milk). Let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours so that the rasmalai absorbs the rabri completely.
Delicious rasmalai is ready to be served.

PC Social Media