Flattened oval patties of cottage cheese fried until golden, then soaked in a thick sweetened milk with cardamom and saffron until they absorb the milk and become soft throughout. A temple prasad of Kendrapara district.
Ingredients
For the chenna patties:
750 ml full-fat milk for chenna
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp semolina
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
oil for frying
For the thickened milk:
1 litre full-fat milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp saffron soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
Method
Make the chenna: Boil 750 ml milk. Curdle with lemon juice. Strain through muslin. Rinse. Hang 30 minutes to drain.
Knead chenna: Knead the drained chenna with semolina, 1 tbsp sugar and cardamom powder for 5 minutes until smooth.
Shape into flat ovals: Divide into 8 portions. Shape each into a flat oval about 4 cm long and 1 cm thick — flatter than for chhena jhili. The flat shape allows better absorption of milk.
Fry until golden: Fry in medium-temperature oil for 5 to 6 minutes turning regularly until deep golden on all sides. Drain.
Make the thickened milk: Bring 1 litre full-fat milk to a boil in a wide pot. Reduce to medium. Cook stirring every 3 minutes for 25 to 30 minutes until reduced by half and noticeably thick. Add sugar, saffron milk and cardamom. Cook 5 more minutes. The milk should be thick like a thin custard.
Add fried chenna patties: Add the fried flat oval patties to the simmering thickened milk. Reduce to the lowest heat.
Soak in the milk: Let the patties soak in the warm thickened milk on very low heat for 15 minutes. The flat patties will absorb the sweetened milk and soften.
Turn the patties: Very gently turn each patty halfway through soaking so both sides absorb evenly.
Cool to room temperature: Remove from heat. Let the rasabali cool to room temperature in the milk. As it cools the milk thickens further.
Serve: Arrange the soaked patties in a shallow bowl with the thickened milk poured around them. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
Note: Rasabali is a speciality of Kendrapara district in coastal Odisha and is offered as prasad at the Baladevjew Temple in Kendrapara. It holds a GI (Geographical Indication) tag as a product of Odisha. The preparation combines the fried chenna technique with the reduced milk soaking — creating a sweet that is simultaneously dense from the fried chhena and creamy from the absorbed milk.