Malai is an Indian cooking ingredient. It is made by heating non-homogenized whole milk to about 80 °C (180 °F) for about one hour and then allowing to cool. A thick yellowish layer of fat and coagulated proteins forms on the surface, which is skimmed off. The process is usually repeated to remove most of the fat.Malai has about 55% butterfat. Buffalo milk is thought to produce better malai because of its high fat content.