Ras Malai

[anil]

Anil, where outside of India have you had Ras Malai as good as you once spoke about in another thread... I think you had eaten some delicious ones in Calcutta if I remember.. or was that Simon?

.......

I think I talked about Gulab Jamun in EZE (Buenos Aires)

[Suvir Saran]

Suvir - Water Buffalo are quite different to Domestic Cattle. Lucky for you they have started milking Buffalo in the USA, so you should be able to source milk if you wish.

http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2002news/waterbuffalo.htm

Thanks for the great link. Water Buffalo they are indeed! And now we will have them in the US very soon.

[Suvir Saran]

My Indian friends tell me that Buffalo milk has much less sugar then Cows milk and that it was always sugared before drinking in their home, is this your experience?

You know it has been so many years Adam that I do not remember. But I was never one to drink any milk with Sugar. I would have close to a gallon of milk myself at the very least each day...I would drink it plain. Chilled but not sugar or any additive. I love milk for what it is by itself. Amazing!

But after moving to the US, I have almost never drunk plain milk again. I find it very different from anything I ever drank around India and travels to other places. It seems very different in taste, texture and especially seems different when you try cooking with it.

There were Indians t hat added sugar to both cow and water buffalo milk. These were friends and family of mine. But many of these were kids that did not really love milk. I was famous for taking money, going to Mother Dairy (a state run milk cooperative), buying tokens and putting them into t he machine and instead of placing a milk container under the slot, I would have my large glass under. Once filled with milk and full of froth I would drink it even before I got home.

It infuriated my mother for at home this same milk would be boiled and then chilled before being used. But they knew I would manage to find some way of drinking milk directly from smaller farms that were even less safe.... So they gave up.. And they let me enjoy milk in the many different ways I chose to.

So, no sugar for me in milk ever.

But when I have desserts... I love them mildly sweet when it matters.. To overtly sweet when that is exactly what they need to be. Cloying sweet is never a negative to my taste buds... For me all tastes are valid. I may not get them all... But sweet ones I do.

Maybe buffalo milk has much less sugar... I am sure your friends are correct. I wish I knew the answer. I just know I loved drinking it daily and never added any sugar. I never found it that different from cow’s milk. It was certainly richer in taste.

[Suvir Saran]

Simon's recipe sounds similar to making "fake ricotta" (lemon juice to make the curd, rather then rennet), could use use very good grade fresh ricotta to make the Indian desert?

Yes fresh ricotta can be a good substitute for chenna made from cow or buffalo milk that has not been killed overtly.

But again, what we end up getting are desserts that are no where close to the original you will find in India. And these certainly help needy immigrants like me feed our craving at least partially, but never make us feel we have experienced the same dish.

Maybe in a few years.. once we have the water buffalo milk and some really good halwais from India, we will finally have a restaurant or three or five.. and some shops selling good Indian desserts and amazing Ras Malai.

Ras Malai is bad at its best in the US.... and in India it is only good at its average and most commonly found standard. Very few but a sizeable chunk of chefs can make it become that magical dessert that it really is. I remember eating Ras Malai across India.. from villages where it was prepared traditionally to cities small and large... There was always a huge gap between the most amazing preparation and the average one.

At least once we have chenna made from Buffalo milk, we will begin to have in th US Ras Malai that is at its worst better than what we are served these days.

[Suvir Saran]

Simon's recipe sounds similar to making "fake ricotta" (lemon juice to make the curd, rather then rennet), could use use very good grade fresh ricotta to make the Indian desert?

I learned long ago a trick from a talented Bengali chef on how to make the best Chenna (cheese) for Bengali desserts. The key to good soft cheese and how ones mouth will react to the cooked cheese lies in what ingredient has been used to break the milk.

Lemon and vinegar leave a sour aftertaste and make the cheese somewhat sticky. At each bite, even the softest of cheese will stick just a little to ones teeth and those that pay attention to each bite, will be able to hear a squeaky noise inside the mouth.

Using sour yogurt or buttermilk makes good cheese. This renders a cheese that is at once soft and also void of any aftertaste.

I never believed this till I tried it. And now when I am at restaurants, I am able to tell the chef how the made the cheese. They are tickled that I can tell the difference and when they do it right.. And when I understand their subtle clever tactic; they are most amazed that someone else cared.

It matters and makes a world of difference. The worst is cheese made with vinegar. That is tough even in its soft form. And it also makes the cream go all sour very quickly.