How to Make Rasabali at Home

How to Make Rasabali at Home

About Rasabali:

Rasabali is a very famous sweet dish from Odisha, India; especially in Kendrapara.  In Kendrapara, rasabali used offered as Bhoga (prasadam) to Baladevjew in the Baladevjew Temple of Kendrapara.  It is one of the Chapana bhoga of Jagannath temple.  Rasabali is mainly a deep fried brown chhena patties that are soaked in thickened, sweetened milk.

Ingredients:

  • 2 liters of full fat milk.
  • 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice/vinegar or as required to curdle the milk.
  • 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder.
  • 1 tablespoons of all purpose flour.
  • 1/4th teaspoon cooking soda (optional).
  • 6-7 tablespoons of powdered sugar/granulated sugar or to taste.
  • Oil for deep frying.
  • Some finely chopped dry nuts like almonds, cashew nuts, and pistachio.
  • Few saffron strands.

Note:  You may increase or decrease the quantity of ingredients depending on your taste and for how many people you are making for.

Making Chhena (cottage cheese) for Rasabali:

  1.  Take a large vessel and add 1liter milk.
  2.  Turn on the flame and let the milk come to a boil on a medium to high heat.
  3.  Once milk comes to a boil, turn off the flame and add lemon juice or vinegar to the hot milk and stir well until the milk curdles and water separates completely.
  4.  Drain the chhena over a cloth-lined over a colander and squeeze off all the water completely.
  5.  Rinse the curdled milk with fresh water to remove sourness from lemon juice and squeeze off the water completely, do not over squeeze as the chhena will be very dry.
  6.  Hang the chhena for 30 minutes making sure that the water is completely drained from chhena, yet remain moist.

Method of Making Rasabali:

  1.  Take a pan and add 1 liter of milk and boil the milk on a medium to high heat.
  2.  Once milk comes to a boil, lower the flame and simmer the milk until it reduces to one half.  Stir occasionally.
  3.  Add 4-5 tablespoons of powdered sugar or to taste, saffron strands, and 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder and mix well and simmer the milk for another 7-8 minutes.  Stir occasionally.
  4.  While milk is simmering, we will make fried chhena patties.
  5.  Once chhena is free of all water, place the chhena in a plate and mash the chhena with the help of heels of your palms in an upward movement to make it smooth, it may take 8-10 minutes or longer.
  6.  Add 1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder, and 1 tablespoon all purpose flour and mix well.
  7.  Mash the chhena once again with help of heels of your palms until all the ingredients well combined and the chhena dough is very smooth and greasy.
  8.  Add 1/4th teaspoon cooking soda and knead the chhena dough once again.
  9.  Pinch out equal portion of chhena mixture and make small balls out of chhena mixture and flatten out each ball between your palms like patties.
  10.  Take a kadai and add enough oil to deep fry the chhena patties.
  11.  Turn on the flame and heat the oil on a medium heat.
  12.  When oil is medium hot, add on the chhena patties and fry them on a low to medium flame until chhena patties are nice golden brown in colour.  Do not overcrowd the kadai.
  13.  Once done, transfer them into tissue papers to removes excess oil from the chhena patties.
  14.  Repeat the same with the remaining chhena patties.
  15.  Add the fried chhena patties into the hot simmering milk and cook for 4-5 minutes on a low flame.
  16.  Turn off the flame and rest the rasabali aside for 1-2 hours, the rasabalis will absorb milk, become soft, spongy, and juicy.
  17.  After 1-2 hours, transfer the rasabalis into a serving bowl, garnish with some finely chopped dry nuts and serve as it is or you can keep in the fridge for 1-2 hours and serve chilled.
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Rasabali
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