Poet Rabindranath Tagore composed his first poem, “For Your Taste Buds,” as a child, and his first lines were about food. The lines, loosely translated to English from Bengali, go as follows: “Aamshoto (sun-dried ripe mango) is dropped in milk, banana is squashed in it, and Shondesh (sweet) is smashed in this. The sound of slushing echoes in the silence. Even ants return, shedding tears into the empty plate.”
Through various articles, books, and memoirs about the legend Tagore, one can assimilate that he was as passionate about food as about poetry. Rabindranath Tagore, being a widely travelled bard, would often get his memories about the food in the form of menu cards and curated recipes and would try them in his ancestral kitchen. Most of the dishes were a fusion of Western with Bengali food.
Since childhood, I have been hugely inspired by Tagore in literary as well as epicurean prudence. I thought, why not create something special on the same lines that was enough to ignite the idea of creating this recipe of Rasmalai? This is a super easy recipe and gets ready in twenty minutes. You don’t need to go through the lengthy process of making the Rasgullas and then going ahead with the Rabri. Try this hack of a recipe, and you shall always have a mishti affair with this delectable sweet.
P.S.: don’t forget, the holy month of Shravan is ongoing and Rasmalai is a pleasing dessert and a popular food consumed during this month. Go ahead and give this recipe a try.
Ingredients :
1 ) A tin of ready-made Rasgullas ( I used the one made by Bikaji sweets)
2 ) 2 cups Milk (fat-free or with fat – any would do)
3 ) ½ Can of Amul Mithaimate
4 ) Almonds & Pistachios ( chopped ) – 2 tablespoon
5 ) Saffron – optional
6 ) Essence – optional ( I used a few drops of Orange essence) The end aroma is heavenly.
Instructions :
1) Remove the Rasgullas from the tin and squeeze out the syrup by gently pressing them in
the palm of your hand. Try not to put too much pressure as this may cause them to
crumble or lose form. You can also place the Rasgullas on a chopping board and gently
dispatch them.
2) In a non-stick pan, heat the milk add the Mithaimate and cook on a slow flame. Bring
the mixture to boil stirring continuously.
3) Add the almonds and pistachios and taste for the sugar level.
4) Add the Rasgullas and cook on sim flame for a minute.
5) Remove from heat and let it cool.
6 ) Cover it with a lid or cling film and place it in the refrigerator to chill. Serve chilled with additional Pistachios or dry fruits.
P.S: a dash of Saffron can be added for Colour.
