Orange Rasmalai Recipe (Indian Cottage Cheese Pudding)

The Orange Rasmalai Recipe is a twist to the traditional recipe where the Rasmalais are flavored with oranges. Rasmalai is a very popular Indian dessert which is made using fresh chenna (cottage cheese). Small dumplings are made with this chenna which are cooked in a sugar syrup and then soaked in flavored, lightly condensed milk. Course : Dessert Ingridients : 3 liter Milk , full cream milk 2 tablespoons Vinegar 1 cup Fresh orange juice 1 teaspoon Orange Zest (Rind) 3 tablespoon Orange pulp 2 tablespoons Arrowroot flour 1 pinch Baking soda 11/2 cup Sugar 1/2 cup Sugar , additional 5 cups Water 3-4 drops Orange Essence 1/4 teaspoon Food Color , orange Dry Fruits , slivered, for garnishing  Instructions To begin making the Orange Rasmalai Recipe, we will first begin by making the cottage cheese.Heat 2 liters of milk in a heavy bottom pan. When the milk comes to a roaring boil, add orange juice, orange zest and vinegar. The milk will curdle immediately. Turn off the heat and let the curdled milk rest for 3-4 minutes in its whey.After about 3 to 4 minutes, strain the curdled milk onto a cheesecloth or a cloth strainer. Let it drip and drain until all the whey has drained out and we have thick cottage cheese (chenna). This will take a few hours. So proceed to the next steps once the chenna is ready.Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 liter milk in a heavy bottom pan and cook on medium heat till the milk has reduced to half. Keep stirring the milk occasionally to prevent the milk from getting settled at the bottom of the pan.Once the milk has reduced to half its quantity, add the 1/2 cup sugar, a pinch of orange color and orange essence to the reduced milk and keep this aside. Pour the reduced milk into a serving bowl which is large enough to hold the cooked chenna balls.Once the chenna is ready, we will proceed to shape the chenna. Place the chenna into a bowl, add arrowroot powder and a pinch of orange color to it. Mash the chenna with the heels of your palm till smooth. The process is more like a kneading and mash technique that makes the chenna soft. Continue with the knead and mash motion until the chenna feels soft.Once the chenna is soft, shape the chenna into 12 to 15 small balls and flatten them slightly. Keep these balls aside.The next step is to cook the chenna - yes its double cooking process to get the spongy nature of the cottage cheese balls in the Ras Malai.To begin, heat water and 1-1/2 cup sugar in a pressure cooker. Stir well until all the sugar has dissolved completely. When the water comes to a rolling boil, add a few chenna balls in the pressure cooker. Cover the lid, place the weight on and cook the chenna balls for 2 whistles on high heat.Remove the pressure cookerAfter the two whistles, turn off the heat, place the pressure cooker under running water to release the pressure immediately. The process of placing the pressure cooker under cold water ensures safety when releasing the pressure.Once you open, you will notice the Chenna Balls would have puffed up and expanded. Remove the cooked chenna balls using a slotted spoon and add them to the reduced milk.Cook the remaining chenna balls in the same manner and add them to the reduced milk. The Orange Rasmalai is now ready to be refrigerated.Place the Orange Rasmalai in the refrigerator for at least 5-6 hours and then serve them as a dessert for parties. Garnish with dry fruit slivers and orange slices.