Sweets & Desserts
Rasbari
रसबरी
Rasbari are pillowy white spheres of fresh curdled-milk cheese (chhena) poached in light cardamom syrup until they swell and turn spongy enough to squeeze between your fingers. Sold chilled in bowls of their own syrup at sweet shops across Nepal, they are the standard sweet to bring to a house when visiting, and a fixture at Newar and Madhesi celebrations alike. Eaten cold, they are the perfect foil to a heavy festival meal.
- Prep
- 35 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 75 min
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
At the stove
Method
Bring the milk to a rolling boil, then take it off the heat and let it settle for a minute.
Add the diluted lemon juice a splash at a time, stirring gently, until the milk splits cleanly and the whey turns pale green.
Tip the curds into a muslin-lined sieve, rinse under cold running water to wash away the sourness, then gather the cloth and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Hang for 20 minutes.
Turn the chhena onto a clean surface and knead with the heel of your hand for a good 8 to 10 minutes, working in the semolina, until it goes from grainy to completely smooth and slightly greasy to the touch.
Roll into small crack-free balls, remembering they will roughly double in size.
Meanwhile bring the sugar, water and cardamom to a boil in a wide pan with a tight lid.
Slide the balls into the boiling syrup, cover, and cook on a steady boil for 15 minutes without lifting the lid. They should bob up and look noticeably plumper.
Turn off the heat, add the rose water, and let the rasbari cool in their syrup. Chill for several hours and serve cold, scattered with pistachios.
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