Sunday 30 November 2014

Indian Culture Ashoka

Indian Culture Ashoka Biography

Source(google.com.pk)
rior to the rise of the Maurya, numerous states, large and small, covered northern India. This was the classical age of ancient India, a time of religious ferment when two new faiths, Buddhism and Jainism, appeared.

One of the largest of these states was Magadha. It was located in the eastern part of the Ganges plain, on the periphery of the Aryan cultural area. Other states apparently regarded it as semi-barbarous. Perhaps its position on the frontiers of the Aryan world meant that its people were not too strict in their commitment to the old Vedic religion of northern India. It is certainly the case that the two non-orthodox faiths of Jainism and Buddhism flourished here in their early days, and found patrons amongst the Magadha kings.

Gradually, over a century or more, Magadha extended its borders. Then, under a line of kings of the Nanda dynasty (reigned c. 424-322 BC), the kingdom dramatically expanded, to cover a large part of northern India.

Chandragupta

The Mauryan period of Indian history was really inaugurated by the conquest of northwest India by Alexander the Great, in 326 BC. This seems to have destabilized the political situation amongst the Aryan states in the region, and the first great conqueror in Indian history, Chandragupta Maurya (reigned 322-298 BC), to rise to power.

Chandragupta seized control of the throne of Maghada from the last Nanda king, and then proceeded to conquer that part of northern India which still remained outside Magadha's borders. He drove out Alexander's successors from the Indian subcontinent, and went on to conquer the easternmost provinces of Alexander's former empire, reaching into Afghanistan and eastern Iran.

Internally, building on foundations laid by the Nanda kings, his reign saw the establishment of a strong central government. This was the work of his highly capable chief minister, Chanakya.

Chandragupta was succeeded by his son, Bindusara (reigned 298-272 BC). He continued his father's conquests by extending Mauryan power down into central India.

Asoka

Bindusara was followed by his son, Asoka (reigned 272-232 BC). Asoka proved to be one of the most remarkable, and attractive, rulers in the whole of world history.

After a bloody war against Kalinga, in eastern India, Asoka renounced warfare and converted to Buddhism. He determined that henceforward he would reign in peace. He actively promoted the spread of Buddhism; and sent missions abroad, to Sri Lanka and South East Asia. Here they laid the foundations for Buddhism's later triumph as the predominant faith. He also sent missions to the Greek-speaking kingdoms to the west, which had carved up Alexander the Great's conquests between them. Here they seem to have made little impact.

We can still see the pillars Asoka erected around his empire, on which were inscribed royal edicts and encouragements to his subjects to live in harmony with one another. These edicts and exhortations give an insight into Asoka's mind. What comes across is a compassionate, tolerant, firm ruler, seeking justice and well-being for all his subjects.

Mauryan Government

There seems little doubt that one of the main architects of Mauryan power was Chandragupta's chief minister, Chanakya. He is widely regarded as the author of a political treatise called the Arthashastra, a down-to-earth manual on how to rule. Although most scholars agree that this work was in fact written a long time after the Maurya had left the stage, many think it does reflect conditions from that time. In any case, Chanakya seems to have organized an efficient military and civil administration, on which the Mauryan kings could build a solid power.

The king was advised by a council of advisors, and was served by an elaborate administrative structure. The empire was divided into provinces, each governed by a member of the royal family. Under them, local rulers seem to have been kept in place, if they were loyal to the Maurya and forwarded the taxes from their domains promptly to the imperial treasury in the capital. Their activities, however, were checked on by senior royal officials, through regular inspections, and also watched by Mauryan spies, secretly. The Mauryan regime had an extensive espionage system, which Chandragupta in particular used to great effect.

The cities of the empire were directly administered by a hierarchy of royal officials, responsible for the upkeep of such public facilities as roads and wells, and for the maintenance of justice.

Mauryan power rested ultimately on its formidable army, which Greek and Roman authors regarded (probably wrongly) as the largest in the world at that time. One claimed that it included 700 elephants, 1000 horses and 600,000 infantry, surely an exaggeration.

The Mauryan government and the economy

As with most ancient administrative systems, ithe Mauryan bureacracy's main purpose was to collect taxes. These rested primarily on the land tax. Since this depended on agricultural prosperity, the government sponsored the reclamation of large amounts of land from forests and wastelands (it seems to have been illegal for private persons to clear land). Irrigation projects were undertaken to increase productivity.

Taxes on trade were also levied, and trade was officially encouraged. The construction of a network of roads, certainly as much for military as commercial purposes, will have significantly affected trade for the better; and such measures as the planting of roadside trees for shade; and the construction of rest houses every few miles, illustrates the government's concern in this area.

Economy and society

The Mauryan period, particularly during the reign of Asoka, was one of the very few times in Indian history when the population as a whole experienced an extensive period of peace. As always, peac encouraged prosperity, and as we have seen, the government actively sponsored agriculture and trade. Trade routes would have been more secure than at any time before in India, and indeed for most periods since. This would have made long-distance commerce easier.

The archaeological record suggests that the standard of living rose appreciable under Maurya rule. Iron implements came into wider use, which would have helped the reclamation of land for farming, and led to greater productivity for farmers. Metal coinage became more widespread, which would have stimulated trade. The expansion of trade is reflected in the spread of northern pottery styles into south India. Palitpura, the Mauryan capital, was a large and imposing city.

Links with other regions of the world

The Mauryan government was in regular diplomatic relations with the Greek-speaking kingdoms to its west. This was of course specially true for the Seleucid empire, the nearest, but contacts with Macedonia, Egypt and other kingdoms of the Hellenistic world are also mentioned. One of the Seleucids' ambassadors to the Mauryan court was an official called Megethsenes, from whose account, the Indica, we can glean much information about India at the time of the Mauryan empire. There seem to have been marriage alliances between the Seleucid and Mauryan royal families.

These diplomatic relations also involved trade missions, and under Asoka, missionary expeditions as well.

Religion

Buddhism flourished under the Maurya. Some scholars believe that it was in this period, especially under Asoka, that Buddhism became established as a major religion within the Indian sub-continent. Jainism also flourished, especially amongst the merchants of the cities - who, as we have seen, were experiencing a time of prosperity. The merchants were to some extent on the margins of the early Hindu scheme of society. They would probably have been less patient than other social groups with the traditional Brahmin dominance over religious matters, and hence more attracted to the new heterdox faiths of Buddhiam and Jainism.

Decline

Fifty years or so after Asoka's death, perhaps sooner (there is very little evidence from the later Maurya period), the huge empire began to crumble. Outlying provinces fell away, and by the mid-2nd century BC the empire had shrunk to its core areas.

Why did this decline set in, and why was it so rapid?

Asoka has sometimes been blamed for sowing the seeds of declineby his too-gentle rule. He might have left unchecked destabilizing forces, which came to full power after he was gone.

For this idea there is no evidence; indeed the edicts scattered around the empire suggest a firm and vigorous ruler. The causes of decline lie elsewhere, and can be summarized as follows:

Causes of decline

First, Asoka seems to have been followed by a succession of weak rulers, who could not exert their will over such a large empire.

This is related to the second reason, the Maurya's failure to develop robust imperial institutions. Unlike the Han empire in China, which continued to run smoothly for almost 400 years, even when the emperors were nonentities, the effectiveness of Mauryan rule was always directly dependent upon the personal ability and energy of the king.

Later experience from around the world - for example, from China and the Roman empire - shows that, unless there is a well-working system for selecting and promoting capable and comparatively honest officials, a bureaucracy can soon become fragmented amongst the followers of over-powerful ministers and provincial governors. Something like this may well have occurred in late Maurya times, culminating in the secession of large provinces from the empire.

Finally, the fragmentation of the Mauryan empire was, to some extent, a product of its very success. During the peace and unity the Mauryan kings had brought India, Aryan culture had spread throughout much of the sub-continent. Towns and cities had sprung up - normally as centres of Mauryan administration - in places distant from the old seats of civilization. Economic development had come to areas which were previously the abode of forest peoples, of nomads and hunter-gatherers. All this had put in place the economic and administrative foundations upon which new, independent states could be built; and, with the firm hand of the early Mauryan kings gone, such states soon appeared.

The Mauryan legacy

In later Indian records, the Mauryan empire appears only as an entry in the long list of kingdoms that made up the vast and complex history of India; no special significance was attached to it.

No magnificent architecture was left - the towns where the Maurya carried out most of their building work continued to be lived in right up to the present day, and so the Mauryan remains were buried under streets and buildings used by later generations.

Apart from a few brief mentions in some accounts, this great empire was all but forgotten - an astonishing fact given the great importance accorded by peoples in other parts of the world to their ancient empires.

In the 19th century, however, some British officials began to wonder, who built those mysterious pillars dotted around India? How come they are hundreds - thousands - of miles apart from one another? What do the inscriptions on them mean?

Then the truth about the Maurya gradually began to emerge. When it was realised that these pillars were the work of one king, called Asoka, whose realm covered a vast area of India and beyond, it was realised that here was an historical phenomenon of huge significance.

The Mauryan empire in world history

The Mauryan empire was the first great empire of the Indian sub-continent, and that in itself gives it major importance in world history.

It was one of the great empires of the ancient world; in size at least it was on a par with the Persian, Roman and Han empires.

The spread of Indian civilization

The Mauryan empire spread Aryan culture throughout most of India. It stimulated the economic development of then-peripheral regions, as these were incorporated into Aryan society. In accomplishing this, the Mauryan empire vastly expanded the horizons of Indian civilization, and so made it a more powerful force in world history.

In due course, southern India, which only under the Maurya began to be drawn into what we today think of as Indian culture, would play a pivotal role in the development of Indian Ocean trade networks, and act as a bridge for goods and ideas between the Middle East and South East Asia.

The spread of Buddhism

The Mauryan empire played a key role in the spread of Buddhism. It is quite possible that it was the Mauryan period which saw Buddhism's establishment as a major religion within India - a development encouraged by official policy under Asoka. This will have helped establish the sub-continent as a base from which Buddhism could later spread to other parts of Asia.

Moreover, the Maurya directly promoted Buddhist missions to other regions, and although in most cases it was only later that the peoples of many of these countries became Buddhist to any large extent, these Maurya missions seem to have been directly responsible for the conversion of the ruling class of at least one country, Sri Lanka.

In any case, the fact that China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Tibet, Burma, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia all now have large Buddhist populations is in some part owing to the great Maurya king, Asoka.

A saintly ruler

Asoka offers a rare example in world history of a saintly yet capable ruler. Although his outstanding personality was hidden in the historical records until the 19th century, since then it has given all those who study world history pause for thought. As world history becomes a subject of more widespread study, his example can only become more widely known.

Institutional failure

Nevertheless, there is a negative side to the Maurya's role in world history: their failure to create an empire that endured for more than a century. This meant it did not play in Indian history the role that the Han empire played in Chinese - that is, act as a powerful model for a unified government system which future generations would set about recreating, and leaving to them the institutional means by which they could do that.

It is interesting to ponder the question - had the Mauryas succeeded in creating a tradition of unity, and Indian history had been more like Chinese, with a series of great empires providing unity and strength for the nation as a whole - how would world history have been different?

It would be one and half millennia before India again came near to unification, under the Delhi Sultanate - and then only very briefly. Likewise the Moguls and the British after them achieved brief moments of unity; but there was no ingrained habit of unity, no urge to merge, which rulers could draw on - a situation so different in Chinese history, where the only truly legitimate rulers are those who govern the entire - or at least the bulk - of that giant country.

Indian Culture Ashoka

Indian Culture Ashoka

Indian Culture Ashoka

Indian Culture Ashoka

Indian Culture Ashoka

Indian Culture Ashoka

Indian Culture Ashoka

Indian Culture Ashoka

Indian Culture Ashoka

Indian Culture Ashoka

Indian Culture Ashoka

Indian Culture Ashoka

Indian Culture Ashoka

Indian Culture Ashoka

Indian Culture Ashoka

Indian Vegetable Curry

Indian Vegetable Curry Biography

Source(google.com.pk)
Via Sonia Faleiro, a review of Curry: A Biography at the Guardian. The key paragraph for my purposes might be this one:

What this smart little book does is unpick some of the pathways by which various meats, fish, fruits and rice came together at particular moments in history to produce, say, a lamb pasanda or even our own particular favourite, chicken tikka masala ("curry", it turns out, is a generic term that Indians themselves would never use). In the process she neatly undercuts our fantasies about origins, beginnings, and authenticity, the possibility that there is a place somewhere high up in the hills where you can still taste these dishes in their original form. For Indian cuisine, it turns out, has always been a glorious bastard, a repository of whatever bits and pieces come to hand.

This is generally right -- people generally misuse the word 'curry' -- though it's not strictly true that Indians never use the word. 

Manish had an excellent and informative rant about this in May, clarifying what "curry" (or kari) is in north Indian cooking:

Let’s put that trope out of its British Raj-induced misery. Indian dishes as a whole are not called curry. They’re called sabzi or khana in Hindi, or just plain Indian food. In Punjabi cooking, curry is one specific dish: a thick yellow sauce made with yogurt and garbanzo flour, spiced with turmeric and eaten with rice. Some stir munchies like vadas, chicken or mutton into this base.

Calling all Indian food ‘curry’ is like calling all American food ‘Jello’: it’s nonsensical. If you tell me, ‘Let’s get some curry!’ and then order saag paneer, I’m going to laugh at you. Loudly.


But back to Lizzie Collingham's Curry book. The book definitely looks like fun, though from Kathyrn Hughes' review I'm a little confused as to whether it's really all about curry, or Indian culinary hybridity in general:

In 17th-century Goa, for instance, it was the visiting Portuguese who taught the local Indians how to make the exquisite egg and milk-based sweets that have since become part of the fabric of eating on the western seaboard. By way of reciprocity, the natives taught the Portuguese how to be clean: not previously known for their personal daintiness, the settling Europeans started lathering up and changing their pants with a regularity that amazed newcomers as they reached for yet one more helping of bebinka, a delicious mix of coconut milk, eggs and hunks of palm sugar.

There again, 300 years later, it comes as a shock to learn that Indians of all castes were indifferent to the pleasures of tea-drinking until the beginning of the 20th century. It was only when their British rulers insisted that they try it for themselves, sweetening the experience with the promise of all the money that was to be made from this new cash crop, that the subcontinent gave itself over to the cup that cheers.

Tea? Portuguese hygiene? It's all sort of relevant -- in kind of an irrelevant way. 

One question I have from this is exactly what the origin of the word "curry" is. Many people have suggested it's really a British word (or a British usage imported into Hindi), but doesn't it originally come from an Indian language? 

(My own instinct is that it might have something to do with the word kadai -- the pot in which it's cooked. But I am hardly an expert on the subject.) 

This Indian food site has a different theory:

Curry is an English word most probably derived from the South Indian word Kaikaari. Kaikaari, or its shortened version Kaari, meant vegetables cooked with spices and a dash of coconut. It may have become the symbolic British word for Indian dishes that could be eaten with rice.

In India curry means gravy.

In America many believe curry is an Indian spice. Curry powder is sold in many supermarkets. Many dishes in America call for curry powder, which is actually a blend of spices (mainly garam masala) that is mixed with coriander powder and turmeric. In India, Indians would be confused if you mentioned curry powder.

There is a plant, however, that has leaves that are called curry leaves or in Hindi meetha neem or Kadhi leaves. They look like miniature lemon leaves and grow wild in most forest regions of India and are used as a seasoning.

The brilliant Hobson-Jobson entry for "Curry" also starts the etymology with Tamil, though they don't mention anything about Kadhi leaves. However, they do find a way to bring in, with characteristic randomness, Richard the Lionhearted:

In the East the staple food consists of some cereal, either (as in North India) in the form of flour baked into unleavened cakes, or boiled in the grain, as rice is. Such food having little taste, some small quantity of a much more savoury preparation is added as a relish, or 'kitchen,' to use the phrase of our forefathers. And this is in fact the proper office of curry in native diet. It consists of meat, fish, fruit, or vegetables, cooked with a quantity of bruised spices and turmeric; and a little of this gives a flavour to a large mess of rice. The word is Tamil kari, i.e. 'sauce'; [kari, v. 'to eat by biting']. The Canarese form karil was that adopted by the Portuguese, and is still in use at Goa. It is remarkable in how many countries a similar dish is habitual; pilao is the analogous mess in Persia, and kuskussu in Algeria; in Egypt a dish well known as ruzz mufalfal , or "peppered rice." In England the proportions of rice and "kitchen" are usually reversed, so that the latter is made to constitute the bulk of the dish.

It is possible, however, that the kind of curry used by Europeans and Mahommedans is not of purely Indian origin, but has come down from the spiced cookery of medieval Europe and Western Asia. The medieval spiced dishes in question were even coloured like curry. Turmeric, indeed, called by Garcia de Orta, Indian saffron, was yet unknown in Europe, but it was represented by saffron and sandalwood. A notable incident occurs in the old English poem of King Richard, wherein the Lion-heart feasts on the head of a Saracen-

"soden full hastily
With powder and with spysory,
And with saffron of good colour."

Moreover, there is hardly room for doubt that capsicum or red pepper (see CHILLY) was introduced into India by the Portuguese and this spice constitutes the most important ingredient in modern curries.

Two quick thoughts. First, I'm always amazed as to how much lingering Portuguese influence there is on subcontinental culture -- both the old Hobson-Jobson entry on 'curry' and the Collingham book on the same subject testify to it. (Maybe the topic for another post.) And secondly, Richard the Lionhearted? In an entry on "curry"? These guys were out of their minds.

The Hobson-Jobson definition of "Mussalla" is much briefer, but also interesting. According Yule and Burnell, the word comes from the Arabic Musalih: "things for the good of, or things or affairs conducive to good."

Indian Vegetable Curry

Indian Vegetable Curry

Indian Vegetable Curry

Indian Vegetable Curry

Indian Vegetable Curry

Indian Vegetable Curry

Indian Vegetable Curry

Indian Vegetable Curry

Indian Vegetable Curry

Indian Vegetable Curry

Indian Vegetable Curry

Indian Vegetable Curry

Indian Vegetable Curry

Indian Vegetable Curry

Indian Vegetable Curry

cooking tips

cooking tips Biography

Source(google.com.pk)
 Check Out All of the Handwritten Tips from Food Network Chefs 
1. Remember, y'all, it’s all about the prep. Take away the stress by doing the prep the night or day before. You'll look like a star.Paula DeenPaula’s Best Dishes2. The smaller the item, the higher the baking temperature. For example, I bake mini chocolate chip-toffee cookies at 500 degrees F for only 4 minutes. Perfect end result.Jim LaheyCo. and Sullivan Street Bakery, New York City3. Store spices in a cool, dark place, not above your stove. Humidity, light and heat will cause herbs and spices to lose their flavor.Rick TramontoTramonto's Steak & Seafood, Osteria di Tramonto and RT Lounge, Wheeling, IL4. Use a coarse microplane to shave vegetables into salads or vinaigrettes. You can create an orange-fennel dressing by adding grated fennel and orange zest to a simple vinaigrette.Paul KahanAvec, Big Star, Blackbird and The Publican, Chicago5. Always make stock in a large quantity and freeze it in plastic bags. That way, when you want to make a nice soup or boil veggies, you can simply pull the bag out of the freezer.Charlie TrotterCharlie Trotter's, Chicago6. If you're cooking for someone important — whether it's your boss or a date — never try a new recipe and a new ingredient at the same time.Marcus SamuelssonRed Rooster, New York City
7. Cook pasta 1 minute less than the package instructions and cook it the rest of the way in the pan with sauce.Mario BataliIron Chef America
 
 8. After making eggs sunny-side up, deglaze the pan with sherry vinegar, then drizzle the sauce on the eggs to add another dimension to the dish.Didier ElenaNew York City
 9. After working with garlic, rub your hands vigorously on your stainless steel sink for 30 seconds before washing them. It will remove the odor.Gerard CraftNiche and Taste, St. Louis
10. Brine, baby, brine! Ya gotta brine that poultry to really give it the super flavor.Guy FieriDiners, Drive-ins and Dives
11. Remember schmaltz? Your mom and grandmother probably used a lot of it in their home cooking. Schmaltz, or chicken fat, has a great flavor and richness; it has a deeper flavor than duck fat and can be used on nearly everything. I also love poaching fish in it.Tony MawsCraigie On Main, Cambridge, MA12. If you find you need more oil in the pan when sautéing, add it in a stream along the edges of the pan so that by the time the oil reaches the ingredient being cooked, it will be heated.Anita LoAnnisa, New York City13. When you deep-fry, hold each piece of food with long tongs as you add it to the oil. Hold it just below the oil's surface for five seconds before releasing it. This will seal the exterior and stop it from sticking to the pot or the other food.Michael PsilakisFishTag and Kefi, New York City
14. For rich, creamy dressings made healthy, substitute half the mayo with Greek-style yogurt.Ellie KriegerHealthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger
 
 15. When chopping herbs, toss a little salt onto the cutting board; it will keep the herbs from flying around.Joanne ChangFlour Bakery & Cafe, Boston
 
16. To make a great sandwich, spread the mayonnaise from corner to corner on the bread. People rush this step and just do a swoosh down the middle. Every bite should be flavorful. Now that's a sandwich!Roy ChoiKogi BBQ and A-Frame, Los Angeles17. If you keep it simple and buy ingredients at farmers' markets, the food can pretty much take care of itself. Do as little as possible to the food; consider leaving out an ingredient and relying on instinct.Tony MantuanoSpiaggia, Chicago18. Always season meat and fish evenly; sprinkle salt and pepper as though it's "snowing." This will avoid clumping or ending up with too much seasoning in some areas and none in others.Mary DumontHarvest, Cambridge, MA

19. For best results when you're baking, leave butter and eggs at room temperature overnight.Ina GartenBarefoot Contessa: Back to Basics
 20. Homemade vinaigrettes have fewer ingredients and taste better than bottled ones. No need to whisk them: Just put all the ingredients in a sealed container and shake.Bill Telepan
21. For an easy weeknight meal, save and freeze leftover sauces from previous meals in ice cube trays. The cubes can be reheated in a sauté pan when you need a quick sauce.David BurkeDavid Burke Townhouse, New York City
 
22. When making meatballs or meatloaf, you need to know how the mixture tastes before you cook it. Make a little patty and fry it in a pan like a mini hamburger. Then you can taste it and adjust the seasoning.Isaac Becker112 Eatery, Minneapolis23. Instead of placing a chicken on a roasting rack, cut thick slices of onion, put them in an oiled pan, then place the chicken on top. The onion will absorb the chicken juices. After roasting, let the chicken rest while you make a sauce with the onions by adding a little stock or water to the pan and cooking it for about 3 minutes on high heat.Donald LinkCochon and Herbsaint, New Orleans
24. Low and slow.Pat NeelyDown Home with the Neelys
 
 25. After cutting corn off the cob, use the back side of a knife (not the blade side) to scrape the cob again to extract the sweet milk left behind. This milk adds flavor and body to any corn dish.Kerry SimonSimon, Las Vegas
Lay the corn horizontally on a board, then cut off the kernels.
 
 Run the back of your knife over the empty cob to extract the milk
 
 26. Acidity, salt and horseradish bring out full flavors in food.Michael SymonIron Chef America
 
 27. Take the time to actually read recipes through before you begin.John BeshAuthor of My New Orleans28. Organize yourself. Write a prep list and break that list down into what may seem like ridiculously small parcels, like "grate cheese" and "grind pepper" and "pull out plates." You will see that a "simple meal" actually has more than 40 steps. If even 10 of those steps require 10 minutes each and another 10 of those steps take 5 minutes each, you're going to need two and a half hours of prep time. (And that doesn't include phone calls, bathroom breaks and changing the radio station!) Write down the steps and then cross them off. It's very satisfying!Gabrielle HamiltonPrune, New York City29. Recipes are only a guideline, not the Bible. Feel comfortable replacing ingredients with similar ingredients that you like. If you like oregano but not thyme, use oregano.Alex SeidelFruition, Denver30. A braised or slow-roasted whole beef roast or pork shoulder can be made into several dishes and sandwiches all week
cooking tips
cooking tips

cooking tips

cooking tip

cooking tips

cooking tips

cooking tips

cooking tips

cooking tips

cooking tips

cooking tips

cooking tips

cooking tips

cooking tips

cooking tips

Indian Sweets In USA

Indian Sweets In USA Biography

Source(google.com.pk)
Boondi Laddu in usa 
Boorelu/Pooranalu in usa
Ariselu in usa
Bobbattlu in usa
Sunnundalu in usa
Kaza in usa
Bhadhusha in usa
Mysore Pak in usa
Jangiri in usa
Thokkudu Laddu in usa
Gavvalu
Kajjikaya in usa
Rasmalai
Rasgulla
Gulab Jamun
Ravva Laddu in usa
Carrot Halwa
Double Ka Mita
Bellam Mittai
Penni Kaza
Kova kajjikaya
Ravva Kesari
Semiya Payasam
Chakkara Pongal
Rice Pudding

Rasmalai is a Bengali dessert consisting of soft paneer balls immersed in chilled creamy milk. Like Rasgullas, Rasmalai is also made with homemade cheese known as “paneer” or “chana”. Instead of being soaked in sugar syrup like Rasgullas, Rasmalai is soaked in sweet, flavored milk.

This recipe will makes 12 Ras Malai.

Ras MalaiIngredients:

for Rasmalai Patties:

4 cups milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 1/2 cups water
Pressure cooker
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
1. Boil 4 cups milk in a steel pan and boil the remaining 4 cups milk in a non-stick pan (The milk in the non-stick pan needs to be reduced to half the quantity so once it comes to a boil, keep the flame low and keep cooking while stirring occasionally. Grind saffron with a small amount of sugar and add it to the milk while boiling).
2. Once the milk in the steel pan comes to a rolling boil, slowly add lemon juice.
3. When the milk curdles (paneer), switch off the stove and strain the paneer in a cheese cloth.
4. Pour a little cold water over the paneer and hang the cheese cloth on the tap for approx 30 minutes to remove all of the liquid.
5. Remove the paneer from the cheese cloth and run it through a food processor to smooth it out. You can knead the paneer by hand but it will take a long time to make it smooth.
6. Divide the paneer into 12 equal portions a little smaller than the size of a ping pong ball.
7. Roll the portions in your hands until a smooth ball is formed. Lightly press the ball until it flattens out.
8. In the pressure cooker with water, dissolve 1 cup sugar and add the flattened paneer.
9. Close pressure cooker lid and cook until one whistle sounds. Immediately switch off the stove and set the timer for exactly 5 minutes.
10. After 5 minutes, carefully take the pressure cooker to the sink and pour cold water over the lid to remove the pressure.
11. Remove the cooked paneer with a slotted spoon into a bowl and allow it to cool.
12. Meanwhile, the milk in the non-stick pan should have reduced to half. Add sugar to taste, cardamom powder and nuts. Switch off the stove and keep milk aside.
13. Once the paneer is cool enough to handle with your hands, gently squeeze out the sugar syrup from the paneer and place the paneer into a serving dish.
14. Pour the prepared reduced milk over the paneer and chill in the refrigerator.
15. Garnish with additional chopped nuts.

Making Paneer:

Mix lemon juice in half a cup of hot water and keep aside.
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.
As the milk comes to a boil, add the lemon juice slowly and stir the milk gently. The curd will start separating from the whey, turn off the heat.
Once the milk fat has separated from the whey, drain the whey using a strainer line with cheesecloth or muslin cloth.
Wrap the curd in a muslin cloth, rince under cold water, and squeeze well. This process takes out the sourness from the lemon.
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.
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.
If the paneer is too dry, add a few drops of water, using the water squeezed from the paneer.
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.
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:

Divide the dough into 12 equal parts and roll them in smooth balls.
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.
Mix the sugar and water in a pressure cooker on medium high heat and bring to a boil.
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.
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!
Close the heat and wait a few minutes befor opening the pressure cooker. Pour cold water over the cooker before opening.
Take out the patties from the syrup and squeeze them lightly,and keep aside.
Boil the milk in a frying pan on medium heat until the milk reduce to about 2 cups.
Make sure to frequently stir the milk as the milk burns easily in bottom of the pan.
 Add the sugar and the Rasmalai patties in milk. Let it cook for few minutes.
Add the cardamom and mix in. Garnish with sliced almonds and pistachios.
Serve the Rasmalai chilled.

Indian Sweets In USA

Indian Sweets In USA

Indian Sweets In USA

Indian Sweets In USA

Indian Sweets In USA

Indian Sweets In USA

Indian Sweets In USA

Indian Sweets In USA

Indian Sweets In USA

Indian Sweets In USA

Indian Sweets In USA

Indian Sweets In USA

Indian Sweets In USA

Indian Sweets In USA

Indian Sweets In USA