Odisha Rasabali

The Rasabali is a sweet dish from Kendrapara, Odisha. It is said to have originated in the Baldevjew Temple of Kendrapara. This unique Odia sweet dish is offered to Lord Jagannath as part of Chhapan Bhoj Mahaprasad. Rasabali consists of deep-fried, flattened, reddish-brown Chhena patties soaked in rabdi. (thick sweetened milk)

Image source: Sweta Padma, CC BY-SA

Adding to its accolades, Rasabali earned the prestigious Geographical Indication (GI) on October 3, 2023. The Geographical Indications Registry, Chennai, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, awarded the GI tag to the sweet dish, popularly known as "Kendrapara Rasabali" or "Odisha Rasabali".

Rasabali is an all-season delight, enjoy it warm to complement the cosy winter vibes or relish its cool allure during the scorching summer months.

The following recipe is shared by Dr.Nivedita Das, who hails from Orissa and is currently a Biotechnology Professor at Pune.

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Recipe

Serves	Cooking time
10	50-60 minutes

Odisha Rasabali Ingredients:

For Chenna Tikkis:

1. Chenna or Homemade Panner (should be soft)

2. 1/2 tsp Cardamom powder

3. 1 tbsp whole wheat flour

4. 1 tbsp powdered Sugar

5. Ghee for frying 

6. 1 pinch Baking soda

For Rabdi:

1. 5 cups Milk

2. 1 tbsp Cardamom powder

3. 1/2 cup Sugar

For garnishing:

1. Saffron strands

2. Sliced almond or sliced pistacio nuts

Preparation Process:

Chenna Patties:

1. On a plate add chenna/homemade panner and knead it for around 5 minutes using your palm. Make sure the dough is coming together and is lump-free.

2. Add wheat flour, powdered sugar, cardamom powder and knead it smoothly for

3. A mixer grinder can also be used to mix the paneer. Just give it a couple of pulses to smooth the paneer.

4. Divide the dough into equal-sized balls and flatten each ball on your palm forming round tikkis.

5. For frying the chhena tikkis-Heat ghee in a kadhai and fry the tikkis at medium flame until they turn golden-brown. Make sure to fry on both sides.

Rabdi:

1. In a deep pan, boil the milk and reduce it to 3/4th of the original amount. Add sugar and flavour the milk with some cardamom powder. (The milk shouldn't be too thick or too runny)

Adding Chenna Tikkis in Rabri:

1. Once the milk is in the desired thickness, add the fried tikkis to the simmered milk. Cook the rasabali on low heat for another 12 to 15 minutes.

2. The milk will thicken a bit more and the paneer tikkis will absorb the milk and become very soft.

For Garnishing:

1. Add sliced almond or pistachio nuts to garnish. A few saffron can also be used.

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Special Thanks to Dr. Nivedita Das for sharing her recipe with us.