Kesar Rasmalai

To make Rasmalai: Make fresh paneer by adding lemon juice to fresh milk.

Drain the excess water from the paneer. Take the cheese out from the cheesecloth.

Start kneading/mashing the cheese. Continue kneading until it softens and starts coming together.

Meanwhile, in a wide pan, mix sugar and water and boil at high temperatures.

Divide into small portions and mash them separately. Shape them into smooth round small balls. Later flatten the paneer balls. They should be very smooth else they will break when put in boiling chashni/sugar syrup.

Put the discs in the sugar syrup and cover them with a lid. Let the discs cook in sugar syrup for 10-12 minutes on high flame.

Once cooked, keep them covered and allow them to cool for an hour or 2. While the discs are cooling, make thickened milk.

For milk syrup: Take milk in a heavy bottom pan, and keep the flame on medium.

Keep stirring every few minutes to prevent burning.

Add saffron strands and cardamom and let the milk boil on low flame.

Once the milk boils and is reduced by ½th of the amount, add sugar and turn off the heat.

Take out the disc from the sugar syrup one by one. Gently squeeze them to remove the absorbed sugar syrup. Add them to the milk and gently stir.

Garnish with pistachio and rose petals before serving.