Malai (
Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
:
मलाई) is a type of
clotted cream
Clotted cream (, sometimes called scalded, clouted, Devonshire or Cornish cream) is a thick cream made by heating full-cream cow's milk using steam or a water bath and then leaving it in shallow pans to cool slowly. During this time, the cream c ...
, originating from the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...
. It is used in the
cuisine of the Indian subcontinent
South Asian cuisine includes the traditional cuisines from the modern-day South Asian republics of Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, also sometimes including the kingdom of Bhutan and the emirate of Afghanistan. Also som ...
, especially in
sweets from the Indian subcontinent
Mithai (sweets) are the confectionery and desserts of the Indian subcontinent.[whole milk
The fat content of milk is the proportion of milk, by weight,
made up by butterfat. The fat content, particularly of cow's milk, is modified to make a variety of products. The fat content of milk is usually stated on the container, and the color ...]
to about 80 °C (180 °F) for about one hour and then cooling it. A thick yellowish layer of
fat
In nutrition science, nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such chemical compound, compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food.
The term often refers specif ...
and coagulated
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...
s forms on the surface, which is skimmed off.
Malai has about 55% butterfat. Buffalo milk is thought to produce better malai because of its high fat content. Buffalo milk with fat contents varying from 5 to 12% is boiled and then cooled down to 4 °C (39 °F) for best results. Similarly, cow's milk with milk fat from 3 to 5% is boiled and cooled to make malai.
Uses

Malai is a major ingredient in malai
kofta
Kofta is a family of meatball or meatloaf dishes found in South Asian, Central Asian, Balkan, Middle Eastern, North African, and South Caucasian cuisines. In the simplest form, koftas consist of balls of minced meat—usually beef, chicken, ...
dumplings and in sweet dishes like ''malai
pedha
Peda () or Pera is an Indian sweet that originated in the city of Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India. Traditionally prepared as thick, semi-soft round balls, its main ingredients are khoa, sugar and traditional flavourings including cardamom seeds. ...
'', ''
ras malai
Ras malai, also known as rasamalei, or roshmalai, is a dessert that originated in the Bengal region of Indian subcontinent. The dessert is called ''roshmalai'' in Bengali, ''ras malai'' in Hindi, and ''rasa malei'' in Odia. It is popular in In ...
'' and ''malai
kulfi
Kulfi () is a frozen dairy dessert from the Indian subcontinent. It is often described as "traditional Indian ice cream". Kulfi originated in 16th-century Delhi during the Mughal era. It is part of the national cuisines of India and Pakistan a ...
''.
Fried koftas are made with potatoes and
paneer
Paneer (), is a fresh acid-set cheese, common in cuisine of South Asia, made from cow milk or buffalo milk. It is a non-aged, non-melting soft cheese made by curdling milk with a fruit- or vegetable-derived acid, such as lemon juice.
Pa ...
.
The flavour becomes even richer when vegetables are added to it. An example of this would be ''methi matar malai'' where the main constituent is green peas.
See also
*
Kaymak
Kaymak, sarshir, or qashta/ashta ( ; or ; ) is a creamy dairy food similar to clotted cream, made from the milk of water buffalo, cows, sheep, or goats in Central Asia, some Balkan countries, some Caucasus countries, the Levant, Turkic r ...
*
Qishta
''Qishta'' (, ), also known as ''kishta'', ''kashta '', ''ghishta'', or ''eshta'', is a dairy coagulated milk product prepared from heated fresh milk used in different dishes and consumed as a dessert. It is found in Southern Mediterranean cuisin ...
*
Kulfi
Kulfi () is a frozen dairy dessert from the Indian subcontinent. It is often described as "traditional Indian ice cream". Kulfi originated in 16th-century Delhi during the Mughal era. It is part of the national cuisines of India and Pakistan a ...
*
Mascarpone
Mascarpone (, ; ) is a soft Italian cuisine, Italian Acid-set cheese, acid-set cream cheese. It is recognized as a ''prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale'' (PAT).
Production process
After Denaturation (biochemistry), denaturation of cream, the ...
References
{{Authority control
Indian dairy products
Pakistani cuisine
Indian cuisine