Rasgullas or Rosogolla ( Bangali Spongy Rasgullas ) cottage cheese balls soaked in sugar syrup

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Rasgullas  or Rosogolla  (in Bengali ) is a very popular  sweet  in West Bengal and Odissa .Though now it is relished almost everywhere in India.Making rasgullas  in an art and needs practice. Earlier  I made 

1.Mango Rasgullas

2.Chocolate Rasgullas

3.Marble Rasgullas

Today I am going  to  share  the recipe  of  original soft and spongy Bengali Rasgullas  or Rasogolla.

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Author - Moumita 
Preparation Time - 15 Minutes 
Cooking Time - 30 
Servings - 5
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Ingredients 
Milk- 2 litres
Lemon Juice-1 full lemon or Vinegar -2 teaspoons (if required add more lemon juice or vinegar )
Sooji or Semolina -1 teaspoon (optional )
Rose water-1/2 teaspoon
Water-5 cups
Sugar-2.5 cups
Cardamom Powder - 1 / 2 teaspoon


Method 

Take a heavy bottomed vessel, add milk.

Bring it to  boil and keep stirring to avoid burning of milk.

Once the milk comes to boil, simmer the gas, start adding the lemon juice and keep stirring( if required,add more lemon juice) cook for few seconds until the milk solids gets separates from the whey. Switch off the heat.

Pour this curdled milk to the already lined muslin cloth over a strainer,squeeze out all the whey water then  rinse chena  or paneer or cottage cheese under the tap water  as much as possible. If you do not rinse the chena or paneer  properly,you will  get the smell  of lemon while having rasgullas. 

Now hang the cloth covered  chena or paneer with  tap for 30 minutes. Then remove it from tap and place a heavy weight on chena for another 30 minutes. It will help to squeeze  more water from chena or paneer .


After that, remove the cheesecloth from the chenna or paneer.

The chena or paneer should not have too much moisture nor be too dry.

Take the paneer in a wider plate

Add 1 teaspoon sooji or rava or semolina, adding sooji or semolina helps to bind the mixture.

First mix the sooji with chenna and then begin to knead for 5 minutes

Knead it well  with your palms for  8 to 10 minutes  to get smooth texture.

Mix rose water with ,knead it another  2 minutes well with your palms to get smooth texture

This kneading process is very important and it decides the texture of rasgullas .

Now take small portions from chenna or paneer and roll them between your palms to a smooth  tiny round ball,make sure roll them tightly. .

Prepare all small balls this way.

In the mean while make sugar syrup. 

Take a  large pan, take 2.5 cups sugar and 5 cups water,add cardamom  powder in it and bring it to boil.

You have to use a large pot or pan so that there is enough space for the rasgullas to cook and increase in size.

Mix and continue  stir the sugar syrup  until it will be dissolved,do this process on medium  flame.

When  the  sugar syrup will start to boiling,drop chena or paneer  or cheese  ball gently to the sugar syrup .Drop balls according  to the size of your pan. Rasgullas need more space to be cooked.The size of the rasgullas  will be doubled  on cooking  on sugar syrup.


Cover the vessel with  lid,put a heavy weight on the lid,cook 25 minutes on medium flame .Open the lid and gently stir every 5 minutes to ensure  even cooking and  puffing.


Turn off the gas,transfer  the  Rasgullas  into a serving bowl.you can enjoy this hot Rasgullas  or refrigerate them and serve later.

Want to try more sweet recipes , click HERE
                         

Pictorial Recipe 

Add lemon juiçe in boiling milk,let the milk curdled.Now pour the milk in  already muslin lined bowl or stariner.Now hang the cloth covered  chena or paneer with tap for 30 minutes

                 Take the paneer in a wider plate and.                                       sprinkle  spoji on top

Knead it well  with your palms for  8 to 10 minutes  to get smooth texture.

Mix rose water and knead it for another  2 minutes  with your palm

See the texture  of  the chena and make a soft dough

Take small portions from chena and roll  them between  your  palms  to get a smooth  tiny round shaped ball.

Prepare  all rasgullas  balls like this way 

Prepare the sugar syrup following the recipe  and drop the  Rasgulla...before  adding the rasgulla balls,roll it again  with  your palms 

Cover the lid and cook for 25 minutes  on medium flame. Put a heavy weight  on lid.

When the syrup  will start bubbling, switch off the heat. Your rasgullas are ready to serve. 

Your  Rasgullas  are ready to serve