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Rasabali
ରସାବଳି · Kendrapara's fried chhena discs soaked in thickened cardamom milk
Rasabali comes from the Baladevjew temple in Kendrapara and is one of the 56 offerings of Puri's Jagannath temple. Flattened discs of chhena are deep-fried until reddish-brown, then soaked in milk that has been simmered down until thick and sweet with cardamom. Unlike rasmalai, whose discs are poached in syrup, rasabali's are fried, so they keep a chewy, slightly caramelised skin under the milk. It is eaten chilled at festivals and weddings in Odisha. Chef's tip: press a dimple into the centre of each disc before frying, so it fries evenly and holds more milk.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the chhena discs
- 1.5 litres whole milk
- 4 tbsp lemon juicemixed with 4 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp fine semolina (suji)
- 1 tbsp plain flour (maida)
- 1 ¼ cups ghee or vegetable oilfor frying
For the rabdi
- 1 litre whole milk
- 3 ½ oz sugar
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ oz pistachiosslivered
- 1 pinch saffron threads (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Make chhena: boil 1.5 litres whole milk, take off the heat and stir in 4 tbsp lemon juice until it splits. Drain through muslin, rinse with cold water, squeeze and hang for 30 minutes.
40 minStep 2: Meanwhile, simmer 1 litre whole milk in a wide heavy pan over a medium-low heat, stirring and scraping the sides often, for 35–40 minutes until reduced to about a third and lightly creamy. Stir in 3 ½ oz sugar, ½ tsp ground cardamom and 1 pinch saffron threads if using, and keep warm.
40 minStep 3: Knead the chhena with 1 tbsp fine semolina (suji) and 1 tbsp plain flour (maida) on a plate for 5–6 minutes until smooth and slightly greasy. Divide into 14 balls, flatten to 6 cm discs about 1 cm thick and press a dimple in the middle.
Step 4: Heat 1 ¼ cups ghee or vegetable oil in a kadai over a medium-low heat. Fry the discs in batches for 3–4 minutes a side until reddish-brown and firm. Common mistake: hot oil; the outside darkens before the inside firms, and the discs collapse in the milk.
15 minStep 5: Drop the hot discs straight into the warm milk and leave for at least 1 hour so they soak it up. Serve chilled with ½ oz pistachios on top.
60 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 440 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does rasabali take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
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