Malai Chop – Deconstructed Rasmalai
Original Post on October 27, 2015.
If you like roshogolla, you will like malai chop. If you have no idea what I am talking about, this dessert is a fun project dessert. I made this recipe again today.
It is time to repost with some of the new tweaks and easier variations. My home crew still is calling it a deconstructed rasmalai. Not sure why, but, since they like it, all is well. So let us talk malai chop.
What exactly is a Malai Chop?
It is one of the many much-loved sweets on the Bengali table. Malai is the Indian word for cream. So anything using cream, sweet or savory often has the word Malai in it. Like these Malai Kebabs.
A chop is a snack much like a croquette. An example are these fish croquettes or macher chop.
My Malai Chop Story
This dessert and actually a lot of these elaborate desserts were much loved by my father, who would have been celebrating a birthday yesterday, had he been with us. Hopefully, somewhere dad you get the message that we are thinking of you.
For my topping, I have used a combination of whipped cream folded into thickened milk just like rasmalai.
Essentially a very indulgent affair, where this does better than rasmalai is that it is more portable, no bowl needed so it is a fun gift for people.
I have topped it adding some pistachios and almonds, it is entirely optional but is certainly fun this way. In essence a malai chop is a spongy soft base, with a creamy rich topping hence what we want to call a deconstructed rasmalai.
I have done a few fun things with this recipe, I give you an easy way to make the base in the instant pot. I am using the same technique as the rasmalai in the Instant Indian cookbook. The second change is with the malai topping, I have made it thicker using milk powder and tinted it with saffron.
A delightful dessert, the malai chop is a almost like a deconstructed rasmalai, with a spongy base topped with cream, saffron and nuts.
Ingredients
- 1/2 gallon whole milk
- 1 lime
- 3 cups of water
- 11/2 cups of sugar
- 8 to 10 cardamoms
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk powder
- A teaspoon of saffron strands
- Chopped pistachios and or almonds
Instructions
- Place the milk in a heavy bottomed pan and bring to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat and let the milk rest for at least 30 seconds.
- Cut the lime in half and squeeze in the juice, and stir the milk should begin separating. Add in the remaining half and the milk should separate into paneer curds.
- Drain into a cheesecloth and hang the paneer or chenna for at least 2 hours, to drain out the whey.
- Remove the chenna and pulse for about 30 seconds in a food processor, do not over process. Remove and place on a flat surface to knead with about 1 tablespoon of flour and shape into small round flat cakes, cover and let this rest for about 20 minutes.
- In the meantime add the water and sugar with the cardamoms in a pot and bring the water to a boil to firm a light syrup about 1/2 strand in consistency. We do not like the desserts to be excessively sweet so I stay away from very thick syrup. It also keeps the base softer. To do this in the instant pot, see the notes.
- Gently place the ovals into the syrup and poach the cheesecakes for about 25 minutes. At this point, they should become spongy and porous.
- Remove from the syrup and set aside to cool.
- Whip the cream, and mix in milk powder and the saffron strands. Allow the mixture to rest to allow the color of the saffron to shine through.
- To assemble place a little of this creamy mixture over the spongy cakes. This will be much like spreading icing on a cupcake, except it will be a much thinner layer.
- Garnish with nuts of your choice and let this chill in the refrigerator for an hour before serving.
Notes
To Make the Malai Chops in the Instant Pot.
Make the channa, drain and shape the cakes as described above. Mix the sugar, water and cardamoms in the instant pot. Bring this to a simmer sauté mode. Simmer for about 5 minutes to thicken the syrup. Turn off the heat. Place the rested cakes into the simmering liquid. Do not overcrowd the pot. I make 8 2 inch oval cakes at a time. Cover and set to 5 minutes of low pressure and allow a complete natural release. Let the cakes cool and remove from the syrup and proceed with topping as described above.
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