6 uses of Malai that you must know about

You might have seen your mother collecting the thick top layer of milk and storing it in a bowl. This thick and creamy layer is called Malai or Fresh Cream and is packed with fats and proteins. Milk is first boiled and then cooled down at room temperature. This process leads to the formation of malai, which can be removed from the milk and stored separately. Malai is not only delicious in taste but is a super useful ingredient in our kitchens. Read on to know some essential uses of malai and how you can make full use of it. (all image credits-istock)

Want to make sandwiches but don’t have butter or any other spread? Use malai as a spread and we assure you that it will become your all-time favourite spread. Just take some malai and whisk it a bit using a spoon or a fork. Spread the malai on the bread slices and place cucumber, tomato and other veggies of your choice on the bread. Close the sandwich with another bread slice layered with malai and serve.

Malai is such a simple ingredient that by just mixing powdered sugar in it will give you a tasty dessert that you can enjoy with chapati. Apart from this, malai can be used to make Malai Barfi, Malai Laddoo, Bread Malai Rolls and other such yummy desserts.

Malai is a universal ingredient that is used to thicken curries. Be it Kadhai Paneer, Malai Kofta or Butter Chicken, just a few spoons of malai can spruce up the taste and also give the gravy a richer texture. To prevent lumps, make sure you whisk the malai first and then add it to the gravy.

Palak has a bit of natural bitterness and in order to neutralize it, malai can be used. While making puree for Palak Paneer, add 3-4 tablespoons of malai. This will make the palak gravy thicker and will also give it a rich and sweet flavour to it. You can directly add malai to the boiled palak and then blend it to make a puree

Why buy butter or ghee from the market, when you can make it at your home? Keep collecting malai in a bowl every day and once the bowl is full, it can be used to make butter. Once the butter is prepared, you can further use it to churn out desi ghee.

Not just for edible purposes, malai can also come in handy for beauty purposes. You can simply whisk the malai and apply it on your face, arms or legs to remove tan. Just apply it for 10 minutes and then scrub lightly to get rid of tanning. To make a face pack, malai can be mixed with besan and rose water. This combination helps in giving a natural glow to the skin while making it soft and supple.

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