Bring out the Bengali In you
Ingredients
Instructions
The Chenna
  1. In a pan, add milk and keep it on a boil on a low to medium flame.
  2. Line a strainer or bowl with a cheese cloth or muslin while the milk is heating up.
  3. Keep stirring the milk and make sure froth doesnt form on top.
  4. Once the milk comes to a boil, then reduce the flame to the lowest. Add 1 to 3 tbsp of lemon juice.
  5. Add 1 tbsp lemon juice and stir. If the milk doesn not curdle completely then add 1 tbsp more.
  6. Keep the lemon juice handy. It depends on the quality of milk. You may have to hadd 1 or 3 tbsp of lemon juice. Keep stirring after adding after adding the lemon juice. You can also use vinegar instead of lemon juice.
  7. As soon as milk curdles switch the gas off. The milk should curdle completely with the green water whey. If the milk doesnt curdle add 1/2 or 1 tbsp of lemon juice.
  8. Pour the milk into the bowl that is lined with cheese cloth or muslin.
  9. Gather the muslin from the sides and rinse the chenna or coagulated milk in running water.
  10. Squeeze the muslin with your hands to drain the excess water.
  11. There should be absolutely no excess moisture in the chenna.
  12. Place a heavy object on the chenna for 8 minutes. Alternately you can hang the chenna for about 30 minutes.
The Rasgulla Balls
  1. After 8 minutes, remove the cheesecloth.
  2. Add 1 tsp sooji/rava/semolina. Alternately you can use all purpose flour/maida. This helps to bind the mixture.
  3. Mix well and then begin to knead.
  4. Mash the chenna with the heels of your palms and knead.
  5. As soon as your palms begin to feel greasy, stop. This should take about 10 minutes.
  6. knead to a smooth ball of chenna.
  7. now pinch small portions from the chenna and roll them between your palms to a smooth round ball.
  8. prepare all small balls this way. cover all the chenna balls with a moist muslin or kitchen towel and keep aside.
Sugar Syrup
  1. Put 2 cups sugar and 4 cups water in a large pan. Use an extremely large pot or pan so that there is enough space for rasgullas to cook.
  2. add 1 tbsp milk and stir.
  3. Once sugar solution becomes hot, remove the impurities floating on top with a spoon.
  4. Reserve 1/2 cup of sugar solution in a muh. Reserve another 1 cup in serving bowl
Cooking the Rasgullas
  1. The rest of the sugar solution in the pan, bring to a boil.
  2. Put the rasgullas hgently in sugar solution.
  3. Once every rasgulla has been added, shake pan. Dont stir with spoon. just gently shake pan.
  4. Cover with lid and let it cook. Keep flame at medium high.
  5. after 4 minutes, open the lid and add ¼ cup of the reserved sugar solution.
  6. cover again and continue to cook.
  7. after 4 minutes, again add ¼ cup of the reserved sugar solution. cover and again cook for 2 minutes.
  8. To check if rasgulla is cooked place in a borl or cup of water. if it sinks to the bottom it is cooked.
  9. Once cooked. Switch off the flame.
  10. take each rasgulla with a spoon and place it in the bowl containing the 1 cup of sugar solution. cover and keep aside.
  11. let the sugar solution in which the rasgullas were cooked, become warm. then add this to the serving bowl containing the rasgullas.
  12. once the whole mixture has cooled down, add 1 to 2 tbsp rose water. if you don’t have rose water you can also kewra water (pandanus extract) or ½ tsp cardamom powder. stir gently and allow the rasgullas to be soaked in the sugar syrup for 30 minutes.