On the bustling streets of Kolkata, India, there was one business man prepared to leave his mark on history. Krishna Chandra (KC) Das wanted to make sure whatever he made, and his name, would be remembered throughout the ages. His father had left him a factory and with hese resources he knew he could make his mark His invention would become one of the most recognizable and .popular Indian sweets. What did he invent? KC das invented what would come to be known as ras malai.
Although it is up for debate whether or not KC das did invent ras malai , his grand children claim that he most definitely did(here). One thing is for certain however, KC das did at least come up with a method for canning ras malai, in 1930, and selling it to the rest of India through his confectionery shop at Jorasanko with his youngest son Sarada Charan Das. The main reason for the sweet becoming extremely popular at the time as it was the only canned sweet produced at the time. For KC das, the success of his invention would catapault his name into history. Krishna Chandra died within four years of the opening of the company, leaving the affairs of the company in the able hands of Sarada Charan. His company still stands today and is thriving as K.C. Das Private Limited.
Ras malai is a popular Indian dessert consisting of white cream, sugar, milk, and cardamom-flavored paneer cheese known as chhana. Almonds, cashews, and saffron are often added to the dessert. Ras malai is of West Bengali(a region in east India) origins, and is sometimes described as a rich cheesecake without a crust. It is eaten all over India, mostly gotten from sweet shops and halwai, an Indian casted known for making sweets(more info on the caste found here). The name of the dessert is a combination of two Hindi words, ras, meaning juice, and malai, meaning cream. It is typically served chilled and garnished with cardamom seeds or dried fruits. This delicious dessert is most popular during the festivals such as Holi and Diwali. Although it is hard to describe the rich, creamy, and sweet taste on the palate when eating a spoonful of ras malai, the taste and texture can best be described as light and spongy, spiced with cardamom and aromatic saffron. This sweet specifically does not have many variations around the Indian subcontinent, so recipes tend to be pretty standard. One of the most popular ones can be found here.
Ras malai is one of the most popular sweets on the Indian subcontinent. It can be found at nearly every restaurant in both North and South India. It all started as one mans quest to make his mark on history.
As someone who doesn’t know too much about Indian sweets, I found this super informative. I like how you went into the background of the man who may have made the dish itself as it definitely has an interesting backstory. Overall, the dish sounds good and like something I’d enjoy. The way you described its ingredients and components made me hungry for some food. As something I’ve never tried before, I’m curious to try it! I’m also definitely curious to hear about more foods with similar strange, almost unknown backgrounds. I also wouldn’t mind if you included your opinion of the dish–whether you like it or not (maybe at some point do a dish you don’t care for?). Keep up the good work!
I like how you brought us through the chronology of the desert. It was very intriguing to hear about its origins from one single man, its uniqueness in being the only canned desert of the time, and how the original company is still going today. From my religious studies class, I recognize the name Krishna; it is the name of an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. Its also very interesting to know that there was a cast that specifically made desserts; I knew castes were split up into sub-casts, but I didn’t know how deep that went! Great post!
I love the backstories given to each food, and this one in particular has been my most favorite so far because it literally has all the ingredients of things I enjoy! If I could I would totally try to make this dessert, or even purchase it myself to try it! This in particular sounds like it’d taste so good! Hopefully one day I get to try it. Love the post :).