Ras malai

Ras malai, also known as rasamalei, or roshmalai, is a dessert that originated in the Bengal region of Indian subcontinent. The dessert is called roshmalai in Bengali, ras malai in Hindi, and rasa malei in Odia. It is popular in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Origin and etymology
The original term for ras malai is "rosh malai (Bengali: রস মালাই) which derived from the Classical Bengali word "rosho malai" with the same meaning.

The term is made with a Bengali word Rosh (Bengali: রস) which means sap and a Hindustani word Malai (Hindi: मलाई, Urdu: ) which means clotted cream hence the name of the sweet sap of clotted cream.

The sweet became popular and exceedingly recognized when Sen brothers opened Matri Bhandar and shared their ancestral recipe at Tipperah (now Comilla, Bangladesh) of the Bengal Province. Which has been granted a geographical indication (GI) in Bangladesh. Soon in the mid 20th century, Ras Malai became a regionally popular sweets across South Asia apart from Bengal. Other variation includes Ras Malai of Kolkata by K. C Das.

The Sen brothers of Comilla operating under the Matri Bhandar brand claim to be the original maker of the dessert. On the other hand, K.C. Das Grandsons also claims that it was invented by K.C. Das in Kolkata.

Ingredients
Ras malai consists of flattened balls of chhena soaked in malai (a type of clotted cream) flavoured with cardamom. Milk is boiled and a bit of vinegar or lime juice is added to split it. The whey is discarded and the milk solids are drained, cooled and kneaded into a dough. The dough is divided into small balls and the balls are cooked in hot water with a bit of rose water added. The balls are then cooked in milk with saffron, pistachios and kheer as stuffing.

Variations
Different types of ras malai can be found in different areas such Rasmanjuri of Rangpur division. In Dhaka and Rangpur, the ras malais are similar in shape to the rasgullas, and round discs.