Holi Rasgulla Recipes

Steps:

• Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy-bottomed pan till it starts foaming; immediately add the lime juice and stir. It will curdle right away. You should see the milk solids (chenna) separate from the whey. Pour into a colander lined with cheesecloth; rinse the chenna with cold water to get rid of the lime juice. Allow the water to drain completely.
• Gather the muslin cloth edges like a parcel and express as much water as possible; what you now have is soft paneer. Turn the paneer onto a rolling mat or other smooth surface. Knead the paneer well to make a smooth paste. Roll into a ball and divide into 20 equal portions.
• Bring the water to a boil in a pressure cooker; stir the sugar into the boiling water until dissolved.
• Roll each portion of paneer into a smooth ball between your palms, making sure there are no cracks; gently drop the balls into the hot syrup. Secure the lid onto the pressure cooker and bring to pressure. Reduce heat to medium-low and pressure cook for 6 minutes.
• Release the pressure from the cooker while running under water; remove the lid. The rasgullas should be floating on the syrup and have expanded 2 or 3 times in size. Pour the rasgullas and syrup into a bowl. Gently stir the cardamom into the mixture. Refrigerate to chill completely before serving cold.

Steps:

• Place the milk in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the white vinegar. Stir until the milk curdles, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Line a colander with cheesecloth. Pour in the curdled milk. Rinse the curds under cold water.
• Gather up the sides of the cheesecloth and twist firmly but gently to squeeze out excess liquid.
• Knead the paneer (cheese curds) by hand until it is smooth and no longer grainy. Divide the paneer into 4 equal parts. Knead the turmeric and saffron into one part to color it yellow, adding yellow food coloring as needed. Knead enough beet juice into another part to color it pink, adding red food coloring as needed. Knead green food coloring into another part to color it green. Leave the final piece white.
• Roll the paneer into small balls about the size of walnuts. Set aside.
• In a large pot, combine the sugar, cardamom, rose water and 5 cups water. Stir and boil the water for 5 minutes. Drop the paneer balls one by one into the boiling sugar water. Cover the pot and boil until the rasgulla double in size, about 10 minutes.
• Remove the rasgulla from the sugar syrup and immediately place into a bowl of ice and water until cooled, 2 to 3 minutes (this will prevent them from shrinking in size). Drain and serve the rasgulla garnished with rose petals, pistachios and coconut.

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a half-sheet tray with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
• Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs one by one and mix until just combined. Sift together the flour, cardamom powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl. Add the flour mixture, milk and nuts to the stand mixer and mix on low speed until just combined (do not overmix). Pour the batter into the prepared sheet tray and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• For the rabri: Add 1/4 cup water to a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot (this prevents the milk from getting burnt). Pour in the cream, milk, milk powder, cardamom and saffron and turn the heat on to medium-high. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then reduce to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat until the milk is reduced by almost half, about 20 minutes. Add the condensed milk and cook, stirring constantly, until the consistency is thick, just a couple more minutes.
• Heat 1 inch melted ghee in a 14-inch cast-iron pan to 350 degrees F. Line a sheet tray with paper towels.
• Cut the cake into squares using a 2-inch square cutter. Fry each piece of cake in the ghee until golden on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on the paper towels.
• Pour some of the warm rabri onto a large serving platter and top with the fried cake pieces. Drizzle more rabri on the cake pieces.
• Garnish the platter with the chopped mixed nuts, gold leaf, edible flowers, mint leaves and pomegranate seeds.