Brown Ras Gulla (makes about 20-24)

Gullas

2 cups powdered milk 1 1/2 tablespoons self-rising flour 1/2 cup warm milk 1 teaspoon ghee

Scented Syrup

2 cups sugar 2 cups water 1 tablespoon rose water 1/2 teaspoon saffron (powdered, and optional) 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder (optional)

Ghee for frying

Directions: 1. To make the syrup, combine sugar and water and bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add rose water or essence. 2. For the gullas, combine the warm milk and ghee together. Mix the powdered milk and flour together and sprinkle slowly into the wet mix to form a dough. Oil your hands and form uniform balls (about 24) and set aside on a buttered plate. 3. Cooking the gullas - Gentle, low heat is a must. Use a wok or karai for best results, 4. Slip in the balls, one by one. They will sink. No touching at this point. 5. Gently shake the pan to move the balls and keep them from getting too brown on one side. After about 5 minutes they will begin to float. You will notice them getting bigger. 6. Now, use a wooden spoon or equivalent to gently agitate and keep them evenly browning. 7. The ghee will slowly get hotter as the balls cook. 8. After about 20 minutes, the balls should be nice and golden. 9. Remove a ball and put it in the syrup. If it doesn't collapse after 3 minutes, remove the others and add to the syrup. 10. If it does collapse, fry for another 5 minutes and try again. 11. Let soak for 2 hours at least before serving.

Rasmalai (makes about 12 rasmalais)

Ingredients for Rasmalai Patties:

4 cups milk 1/4 cup lemon juice 1 1/2 cups sugar 4 1/2 cups water Pressure cooker ( you can also use a non stick pot with a good tight lid instead of pressure cooker)

Ingredients for Milk mixture:

3 cups of milk 2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar (adjust to your taste) 1/8 teaspoon crush cardamom 1 tablespoon sliced almonds and pistachios to garnish

Method: Paneer: 1. Mix lemon juice in half a cup of hot water and keep aside. 2. Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed over medium-high heat, stirring frequently making sure milk do not burn on the bottom of the pan. 3. As the milk comes to a boil, add the lemon juice slowly and stir the milk gently. The curd will start separting from the whey, turn off the heat. 4. Once the milk fat has separated from the whey, drain the whey using a strainer line with cheesecloth or muslin cloth. 5. Wrap the curd in a muslin cloth, rince under cold water, and squeeze well. This process takes out the sourness from the lemon. 6. To take out the excess water squeeze the cloth, or press the wrapped paneer under a heavy pan for about one hour. Taking the right amount of water out of the paneer is the most important part of this recipe. 7. To check if enough water is out of the paneer, take a little piece of paneer on your palm and rub with your fingers. After rubbing the paneer for about 15-20 seconds, you should be able to make a firm but smooth ball. 8. If the paneer is too dry, add a few drops of water, using the water squeezed from the paneer. 9. Once the paneer is drained, place on a dry, clean surface and knead the paneer for 34 minutes until the paneer is almost rolls into smooth soft dough. 10. Knead the paneer by dragging the palm of your hand hard on the paneer. Keep scooping it back to togather and knead more. Your palm will be little greasy. Making the Rasmalai: 1. Divide the dough into 12 equal parts and roll them in smooth balls.

2. To make the balls apply some prassure at the first and then release when forming the balls, lightly press to make about 3/4 patty shape. 3. Mix the sugar and water in a pressure cooker on medium high heat and bring to a boil. 4. Add the paneer balls and close the pressure cooker. After the pressure cooker starts steaming, turn the heat to medium and cook for about seven minutes. 5. Make sure the cooker is large enough to accommodate the finished rasgullas patties, as they will expand to about double in the volume while cooking in the syrup! 6. Close the heat and wait a few minutes befor opening the pressure cooker. 7. Take out the patties from the syrup and squeeze them lightly,and keep aside. 8. Boil the milk in a frying pan on medium heat until the milk reduce to about 2 cups. 9. Make sure to frequently stir the milk as the milk burns easily in bottom of the pan. 10. Add the sugar and the Rasmalai patties in milk. Let it cook for few minutes. 11. Add the cardamom and mix in. Garnish with sliced almonds and pistachios. 12. Serve the Rasmalai chilled.

White Ras gulla (makes about 12)

Ingredients:

4 cups milk 1/4 cup lemon juice 1 1/2 cups sugar 4 1/2 cups water Pressure cooker(or a non stick pot with good, tight lid)

Method: Paneer: 1. Mix lemon juice in half cup of hot water and keep aside. 2. Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, making sure not to burn milk. 3. As the milk comes to a boil, add the lemon juice gradually and stir the milk gently. The curd will start separating from the whey, turn off the heat. 4. Once the milk fat has separated from the whey, drain the whey using a strainer line with cheesecloth or muslin cloth.

5. Wrap the curd in a muslin cloth, and rince under cold water, and squeeze well. This process takes out the sourness from the lemon. 6. To take out the excess water squeeze the cloth, or press the wrapped paneer under a heavy pan for about one hour.Taking the right amount of water out of the paneer is the most important part of this recipe. 7. To check if enough water is out of the paneer, take a little piece of paneer on your palm and rub with your fingers. After rubbing the paneer for about 15-20 seconds, you should be able to make a firm but smooth ball. 8. Once the paneer is drained, place on a dry, clean surface and knead the paneer for 3-4 minutes until the paneer is almost rolls into smooth soft dough. 9. Knead the paneer by dragging the palm of your hand hard on the paneer. Keep scooping it back to togather and knead more. If the paneer is too crumbly, add a teaspoon of water. Your palm will be little greasy. Rasgulla: 1. Divide the dough into 12 equal parts and roll them into smooth balls. 2. To make the balls apply some pressure at the first and then release when forming the balls. 3. Mix the sugar and water in a pressure cooker on medium high heat and bring to a boil. 4. Add the paneer balls and close the pressure cooker. After the pressure cooker starts steaming, turn the heat to medium and cook for about seven minutes. 5. Make sure the pressure cooker is large enough to accommodate the finished Rasgullas, as they will expand to about double in the volume while cooking in the syrup. 6. Close the heat and wait a few minutes before you opening the pressure cooker. Pour cold water over the pressure cooker before opening. 7. Rasgullas should be little spongy. After rasgullas are refrigerated the sponginess will reduce and will be soft in texture. 8. Serve the Rasgullas chilled.