Diwali is one of the most popular Indian festival and would always remain to be so. Though each region in India has a special way of celebrating it, and a unique story behind it, in the northern part of India it is celebrated as the return of "Ram (a lord king) along with Sita (his wife) and Lakshman (his brother)" from his 14 years of exile after his victory over Ravana (obviously, the demon king!). To commemorate his return to Ayodhya (his birthplace), his subjects illuminated the kingdom and burst crackers. Hence, following the tradition, Indians celebrate it by enjoying sweets, music, fireworks and family get-togethers. The day after Diwali also heralds the beginning of a New financial year for some of the Hindus. So here's a beautiful, spectacular and rich-looking Indian dessert recipe (traditionally a bengali sweet) that I am sure many of you must have tasted in Indian restaurants - the Kesar Rasmalai!

Ingredients
4 cups whole milk for channa
1 cup sugar
3 cups of water
6-7 strands of saffron mixed in 3 tbsp warm milk
Cardamom, pistachio, almonds - slivered
lemon juice
3 cups whole milk (for the ras)
4-5 tbsp sugar (for the ras)

Method
First keep the 3 cups of milk for ras to boil until it thickens. Take a small cup, fill it with 3 tbsp milk; warm it in the microwave for 10 seconds, then add 6-7 strands of saffron to it and rub them etween your fingers to extract orange-yellow color and saffron flavor. Then add this to the boiling milk. Also add the sugar for the ras to it and add cardamom, pista and almond to it.Once the milk is reduced to about half it's size, remove from flame and set aside to cool in another container filled with cold water or ice cubes.

Next, bring the 4 cups of milk to boil. Once it starts boiling, reduce the flame, and add the lemon juice to it while stirring continuously to curdle the milk. Stir with a spoon, then slowly remove just the solid part, called the "chhanna" and tie it in a muslin or thin cloth. Keep it covered for at least a couple of hours. Hang the "potli" under the sink or put the cloth-covered chhana in a bigger bowl which will collect the water dripping from the mixture. The intention here is to separate just the solid curdled milk residue from the water or liquid part.

After 2 hours, remove the channa from the cloth. Take it in a bowl and mash well with your hands to form a smooth mixture. This will look like "Paneer" or cottage cheese, and you have to rub it between your palms a lot to make the mixture really smooth. Then make around 15 small-sized of balls out of it. Again, make sure you keep the edges as smooth as possible. Now take a pressure cooker and add 3 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar. Mix well to form the sugar syrup. Add the balls in the pressure cooker and let it cook for two whistles.

Once the cooker has cooled down, remove the cooked balls. Press them gently between your palms to remove excess water, then arrange them in a serving dish. Pour half of the ras/milk mixture over them and let them soak into it for at least an hour. Refrigerate the remaining milk.

When ready to serve, pour the cold milk over the balls. Garnish with more chopped or slivered pistachios and almonds and dazzle your family and friends with this invigorating and delicious dessert!

Hope this Diwali serves to be a Happy and prosperous one for all of you, Indian or otherwise, and may you be blessed with the spirit of goodness and peace all around!!

Fun and Food wishes all my readers at Sulekha a very Shubh Deepavalai!! Click here for more such festival recipes.