Allergens in Rasabali: milk, gluten.
Ingredients
Quantities for 6.
- 300g fresh, crumbled and kneaded Paneerproperly this is chhena from 2 litres of milk, drained but never pressed hard
- 1.5 litres full fat Milkfor the rabri
- 150g Sugar100g for the milk, 50g for the syrup
- 2 tbsp fine Ravabinds the discs; this is wheat semolina, so the dish is not gluten-free
- 6 pods, seeds crushed Cardamom
- 1/4 tsp, coarsely crushed Black Pepperthe traditional back-note; leave it out if you preferoptional
- 500ml for deep frying Gheeor a neutral oil, though ghee is traditional
- 300ml Waterfor the light syrup
- a pinch, soaked in 1 tbsp warm milk Saffronoptional
Cookware
stovetop, kadhai
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- The chhena must be fresh and soft. If you are using shop paneer, crumble it fine and knead it with the heel of your hand for a full 8 minutes until there is not a single lump and the mixture feels like dough.
- Reduce the milk before you fry anything. It takes 30 minutes and cannot be hurried.
- Rest the kneaded chhena dough 10 minutes covered before shaping. It shapes without cracking after resting.
- Have the light sugar syrup made and warm before the discs come out of the ghee.
Method
- Reduce the 1.5 litres of milk in a heavy pan over medium-low heat, scraping the sides down, for about 30 minutes until it has halved and thickened to a pourable rabri.Scrape the skin off the sides back into the milk every few minutes. That is what gives rasabali its grain.
- Stir 100g sugar, the crushed cardamom, the pepper and the saffron milk into the reduced milk. Simmer 3 minutes and take off the heat.
- Separately dissolve 50g sugar in 300ml water and bring to a boil to make a thin syrup. Keep it warm.
- Knead the crumbled paneer with the rava for 8 minutes until smooth and dough-like, with no grains visible. Rest 10 minutes covered.If the dough cracks when you flatten a ball, it needs more kneading, not more rava.
- Divide into 12 balls and flatten each into a disc about 5cm across and 1cm thick, with smooth unbroken edges.
- Heat the ghee in a kadhai to medium-low. A scrap of dough should rise slowly and take 20 seconds to colour.Hot ghee is the classic failure: the outside browns in seconds while the middle stays raw and the disc bursts.
- Fry the discs in batches, 4-5 minutes, turning once, until they are an even deep reddish-brown. They will puff slightly.
- Drop each fried disc straight into the warm syrup and leave 10 minutes to soften and swell.
- Lift the discs out, squeeze them very gently against the side of the bowl to shed excess syrup, and slide them into the warm rabri.
- Rest at least 2 hours so the discs drink the milk all the way through. Serve cool, not chilled.
Storage
Keeps 3 days refrigerated in a covered box, and is better on day two. Serve cool or at room temperature; do not reheat, as the discs disintegrate.
Nutrition Low estimate
One serving of Rasabali (390 g) is about 521 calories, or 134 calories per 100 g.
Medium protein: 18 g a serving, 14% of the calories
| Per serving390 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 521 kcal | 134 kcal |
| Protein | 17.8 g | 5 g |
| Carbohydrate | 42.6 g | 11 g |
| of which sugars | 39.1 g | 10 g |
| Fibre | 0.2 g | 0 g |
| Fat | 31.7 g | 8 g |
| of which saturated | 18.3 g | 5 g |
| of which unsaturated | 9.8 g | 2 g |
Syrup left in the bowl, or batter that yields more than the stated servings, means the real figures are likely lower. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Vegetarian Indian recipes · No onion no garlic recipes · Odia recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.