Ras Malai - My 50th post :)

 can’t believe its my 50th post already.. and it’s been loads of fun all the way. USMasala is not even two months old and I am very very proud of this milestone :) I have been totally addicted to the world of blogging... my hubby can vouch for that :D as am ignoring everything else. Your encouraging comments is always the first thing I read in the morning and they always make my day. I have made so many friends and have discovered so many wonderful blogs it feels awesome!! I am thankful to all my readers especially my fellow bloggers who welcomed me with an open heart in the blogsphere with their encouraging words. Guys your love and support is the reason I have become 100 times more passionate about cooking, experimenting, taking beautiful pics... ok now the big confession all the pics of USMasala which I always get compliments for is taken by my dear hubby... so I thank him too for making my blog wonderful and so colorful... Thanks sweetheart!
So to all you wonderful people out there, a big THANKYOU and watch out for more from USMasala. LOVE you all!!
For my 50th I have chosen my hubs all time favorite Indian sweet Ras-malai. Hope you guys like it.Ras-Malai, soft spongy and delicate cheese balls in a creamy thick sweetened milk sauce with a hint of saffron, nuts and green cardamom, is a delectable and one of the most popular of all Indian desserts.

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Rasgulla

The holi month of 'saawan' usually falls during the month of August. This month is considered auspicious and many people offer prayers and observe fasts to worship Lord Shiva. As do I. I observe fasts on the Mondays of the month and visit the local temple. During my fasts I avoid certain ingredients like salt, onions, garlic, grains. The diet typically consists of sweets and fruits. I have done this since my early school days but after getting married, my husband offered to join me so now we both observe fast together (that is so sweet of him *blush*)... the only problem... while I don't have a sweet tooth and pretty much eat fruit during my fasts, he loves sweets... and sweet stuff usually contains flour (which is grain) Had made gajar halwa, singhade ka halwa and sabudana kheer several times .
Saawan this year started a couple of weeks back, so in my search to make him a sweet which can be consumed during fasts, I found this great recipe in my bookmarks to make the evergreen and popular indian sweet 'rasgulla'. I had bookmarked it some time back from Manjula's site. She has a great recipe which is well explained, easy to follow and the result was fabulous. The only change I made was adding a little cardamom powder in the syrup as I think it makes sweets taste a little better.
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