What is rasgulla
Rasgulla is a popular Indian dessert made from chenna, a type of Indian cheese, which is essentially paneer (cottage cheese) that has been kneaded and shaped into small, round balls. These balls are then cooked in a sugar syrup until they absorb the syrup and become spongy and sweet. Bengali Rasgulla is a dessert in India and is often served at festivals, celebrations, and special occasions. It’s known for its soft, spongy texture and its sweet, sugary taste. There are various regional variations of rasgulla, with slight differences in preparation and taste
Milk for cottage cheese
Always use Whole-fat cow’s milk for the best soft, spongy, juicy, and cushiony chena. I would recommend boiling the milk on the stovetop. Avoid microwaving. Frothy boil with malai gives the best chenna
Keep cloth ready
Always keep the muslin cloth or thin towel ready. Use white ones and avoid the cloth/towel with the pattern. If you are using thin muslin cloth use three-layer or based on the cloth you use. Make sure it is thick enough to hold the cottage cheese at the same time has enough pores to drip the whey completely.
Rest a few minutes then curdle
Curdling milk when it is piping hot might result in chewy and rubbery chenna which might end up with rubbery and chewy rasgulla. I rested for 10 minutes. time might slightly vary based on your weather. The milk should be hot but we should be able to handle the hot milk with our hands. Watch out and be the right judge.
Acidic Agent
I have tried using vinegar and lemon juice. I would recommend and prefer using Vinegar based on my personal experience.
Why should we use water and vinegar mix?
If you add just vinegar, cottage cheese balls might have an aftertaste. Always mix an equal amount of water and vinegar.
How do we know if we added the right amount of vinegar water mix
Straining the milk too early might not give soft Rasmalai. Always add vinegar+ and water mix till the whey separates completely. Avoid adding all vinegar water at once. Water turning pale green color is a clear indication. Mix well after each addition.
Can I skip adding cold water?
It helps to get rid of vinegar after taste and also for soft paneer.
Avoid keeping paneer in whey for longtime
Rosogulla might turn chewy if you leave paneer in whey for a long time. Act quick. transfer it to muslin cloth right after adding
Squeeze and keep a heavyweight
Squeeze the cloth well till the water stops dripping. It is very important else the paneer might turn a paste-like texture and won’t turn crumbly. squeeze well then place it under a stone mortar pestle or some heavy object- perfect malai. You can hang the paneer too but that might take extra time.
How to know if the cottage cheese is drained right
If whey is not drained well then rosogulla might disintegrate in hot sugar syrup.
Knead well with your palms
Use your palms and knead. don’t press it too hard else Bengali rasgulla balls might turn dry. Knead well till it turns into a soft non-sticky crack-free dough.
Make crack-free cottage cheese ball
Keep the ball between two hands and Gently roll. make small crack-free cottage cheese balls. If it has cracks, rasgulla might break in the boiling sugar water.
Always keep paneer covered
Keeping the paneer covered is very important else it might dry. While working on one paneer covered the rest with the towel we used for collecting the chenna.
Make it small
Cooked paneer will double the size so remember it while making cottage cheese balls. if you notice a crack, knead it and make it crack-free
do I need maida?
if you follow all the tips, maida is not required.
1:3 sugar-to-water ratio
The sugar water shouldn’t form a string consistency. A 1:3 sugar-to-water ratio works best.
Always use a wide and slightly deep pan
The pan plays a crucial role. Always use a wide pan so that we have ample room to cook paneer. Avoid too deep pan
Bring to a boil then add the paneer balls
Make sure the sugar water is boiling well then add paneer balls. Avoid adding all paneer balls at once. Adding one by one will help to fix it if it disintegrates and also to maintain optimal sugar water temperature. Also, make sure the water is boiling whenever you add paneer. If the paneer is not cooked properly it might turn dense.
How to avoid paneer rasogulla from breaking
✔️Drain the whey well. Hang for sufficient time. It should be moist but not wet ✔️Keep the paneer balls covered all the time ✔️Shape crack-free paneer balls ✔️Cover and cook the paneer balls. avoid overcooking
Can I reuse the sugar syrup to soak rasagulla
after cooking rasagulla you need to add them to room temperature liquid. Some people prefer keeping ice cold water than reusing the sugar syrup but to make the recipe beginer friendly. I prefer separate sugar syrup You can use the cooked sugar syrup for other purposes.
can I double the recipe
yes but if you are trying this Indian dessert for the first time I would recommend this quantity. master the sweet then make it double
Rose rasgulla
my kids like rose syrup flavor so I always add rose syrup to a batch of rasgulla. Rest for at least 1 hour then enjoy. Alternatively, you can add kewra water rose essence, or cardamom to sugar syrup.
Ingredients
sugar syrup - to soak
1/2 cup sugar 1 cup water
rosogulla
500 ml whole milk
Vinegar water mix
1 tablespoon Water 1 tablespoon vinegar
Sugar Syrup to cook
1 cup sugar 3 cups water
How to make rasgulla recipe with step-by-step pictures
sugar syrup
first, boil water
furthermore, add sugar and melt the sugar
turn off the stove and transfer
Curdle milk
First, add milk to a deep-bottomed pan
Bring the milk to a rolling boil on a medium flame
turn off the stove and keep it aside
Vinegar + water
combine vinegar with water; mix well and keep aside
Keep them ready
place layers of muslin cloth or cheesecloth or white towel on a wide deep bowl bottle full of cold water
Prepare chenna
Take a small portion of milk in hand; hot enough to handle? Then proceed with curdling
Add vinegar + water mix little by little; mix well in between. after a few additions, we can notice the paneer and whey start to separate
Keep on adding and mixing until you notice clear separation; the indication of this is when the milk turns green in color
immediately transfer to the muslin cloth
Add a bottle full of cold water immediately
The paneer would get collected in the muslin cloth. collect whey in the bowl Gather the ends of the muslin cloth and squeeze well to release all the excess water. Make sure the water is squeezed else ras might become rubbery/chewy
Cover and place the muslin cloth keep a heavy object on top and rest for 10 minutes. if you are hanging out, then it might take around 20 minutes
to roll and flatten paneer
Take out the chenna. It is moist but not wet
use your palm and knead. Avoid applying pressure
divide the dough into equal parts and keep them covered all the time gently roll the balls between both hands. Make sure they are crack-free. If you notice cracks, press again and roll
Keep them all covered in the same muslin cloth till we add to the sugar syrup
Sugar Syrup
Add sugar and water to a wide and deep pan
Let the sugar melt and come to a boil
add rolled rasgulla one by one. Watch out for disintegration and make sure the sugar water is rolling boil
After adding the entire batch boil for 3 minutes
cover it with the lid and allow it to cook for 10 mins on medium-high flame; mix well in between
turn off the stove and immediately transfer to the cooled sugar syrup carefully
add kewra water or rose water or rose syrup for extra flavoring
