RASGULLA RECIPE – HOMEMADE RASGULLA – BENGALI SWEETS

To start with we have to make the chenna / paneer for making our rasgullas.

Heat milk in a sauce pan and let it come to a full boil.

When it starts to boil, add in the lemon juice and stir gently until the curd separates. Here milk literally spits into 2 forms 1. a transparent liquid (whey) and 2. soft lumps of curd which is nothing but cheese/ chenna / paneer

Keep heating or under simmer until all the curd separates. Do not keep boiling for a long time it may over cook the chena. To stop the cooking you may add fe ice cubes if you want. Switch off the flame.

Wrap a cheese cloth over a colander and place a bowl underneath. Immediately pour the curled milk and strain.

Collect the curd, run it under cold water for a couple of times, to give it quick rinse in order to get rid of the lemonly smell.

Twist the gathered curd in the cheese cloth to strain and squeeze out, as much liquid as possible. After this stage you can either tie a knot and suspend the cheese, from a sturdy kitchen cabinet knob/ water faucet, placing a bowl underneath to collect all the extra liquid by squeezing gently. Let it hang for 30- 45 minutes to drain all the excess water. Collected paneer/ chena will still look slightly moist but with a crumbled texture.

Transfer that to a plate or bowl, gather with our hands and start kneading.  We need to knead for atleast 10 minutes to make it soft.

Make a soft smooth dough and divide into equal portions. (For 2 liters you may get 25- 30 small rasgullas) Roll them into small balls.

Repeat until you finish the dough. Simultaneously heat water in a sturdy sauce pan. Add in the sugar and let it melt.

When it starts to boil vigorously, gently add in the paneer balls. Bring the flame to medium high. (You may add elachi powder at this stage if you wish to)

Immediately cover with a sturdy fitting lid. Let it cook for a total of 15 minutes. (DO NOT OPEN THE LID FOR THE FIRST 10 MINUTES)  

After the first 10 minutes, bring the flame to low and slowly open the lid – by this time the paneer balls must be doubled in size. To check the whether they have cooked, drop a rasgulla in a bowl filled with water. If it sinks to the bottom- then its done perfectly. For some reason if it floats then boil for some more time. Once done, switch ff the flame and let cool a bit. Add a few drops of rose essence and mix gently. Garnish is optional but adds in a final touch! Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Notes

• One liter of milk can yield 25-30 small / mini rasgullas. You may increase the size depending your preference.
• Always use full fat milk, low fat or skim milk will not work.
• Make sure you use a heavy bottom, sturdy deep pot/ pan for boiling the syrup.
• Sturdy lid is a must when the sugar syrup boils.
• Sugar syrup should be boiling for the first 10 minutes – do not simmer.
• Do not attempt to open the lid for the first 10 minutes., it needs to cook evenly undisturbed.
• Add lemon juice when the milk is boiling, adding before it boil will not yield proper results.
• You may use plain curd or citric acid in the place of lemon juice.
• Washing the chenna under cold running water may remove all the lemon smell from it.
• Choose the right pan, do not over crowd the chenna balls, they may double in size and puff up -make sure there is enough room in there for them to float around.
• If your chenna is too dry then rasgullas may turn rubbery and chewy. To much moist will break them. So make sure it is not too dry or too moist.
• Boiling sugar syrup for longer time may crystallize, so switch off after 15 minutes.
• It can stay good at room temperature for 2 days and refrigeration will keep them good for a week.