The first part of this recipe is making the paneer,
which will form the “malai.”
Heat up the milk in a wide saucepan over a medium high heat.
When the milk comes to a rolling boil, add the lemon juice and reduce the heat.
You will see the milk begin to curdle and split.
When the liquid part of the milk turns a greenish colour, pour the contents of the pan through a sieve or colander lined with a cheesecloth.
Let the liquid drain away and the rinse the milk solids, or paneer, with cold water.
Tie the cheesecloth up around the paneer and either press with weights or leave to hang from a tap until all the liquid drains away and the paneer is dry.
Place the drained paneer in a food processor with a
chopping attachment, and blend until it comes together to form a smooth ball.
Remove from the processor and knead gently until
you have a completely smooth dough.
Use a rounded dessert spoon to form 12 equal
portions of the dough, and roll each into a smooth round ball with no cracks in
it.
Bring the 200 g sugar and water to the boil
together inside a large pressure cooker.
Take each ball of the paneer and gently flatten it
until it is approximately 1-cm thick.
Place all of the paneer patties into the pressure
cooker and allow them to cook over a medium heat until the whistle rises or for
a maximum of 10 minutes.
Allow the cooker to cool before you open it; and
then use a serrated spoon to gently lift out each malai, and place it on a dish
to cool slightly.
While the malai are cooking and cooling, you can
begin making the “ras.” Bring the milk
to the boil in a large non-stick saucepan over a high heat.
When the milk has boiled, reduce the heat, add the
sugar, saffron, rose water, and vanilla pod, and allow to simmer, stirring
occasionally until the milk has reduced by one third (about 15 minutes).
Turn off the heat and remove the vanilla pod from
the milk.
Stir in the cardamom, and allow to cool slightly.
When both the ras and malai have cooled slightly
but are still warm, gently squeeze out some of the excess sugar syrup from the
malai by pressing them downwards, and then place each one into the ras.
Place in the refrigerator to chill completely
To make the strawberry compote, hull and quarter
the strawberries and place in a saucepan together with the sugar, rose water,
and vanilla extract.
Warm over a low heat, stirring occasionally and
allowing the strawberries to release their juice; and then let the mixture
thicken a little (about 5 minutes).
Allow the compote to cool slightly before
refrigerating.
To assemble the dessert, place a rasmalai on the
centre of each dish, and top with a tsp of compote. Place another rasmalai on
top, and garnish with a little extra compote and some chopped pistachios if
desired. Serve chilled.
