- 5 cups full fat milk
- 2 to 3 tablespoon lemon juice add as required
- 2 teaspoon semolina rava
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder elaichi powder
- 1 cups sugar
- 5 cups water
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 3 cups water
- Few saffron threads
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1 tablespoon kewra water
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First pour milk in a pan and allow it to get a boil. Meanwhile you can lineup a cotton kitchen towel or muslin cloth in a strainer. Stir the milk occasionally so that milk doesn't stick to the bottom.
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Once milk comes to boil, turn the heat to minimum lowest or switch off the gas because we don't want chena to become hard. Then add 1 tbsp lemon juice in the centre and stir, repeat this for 1 time more.
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Now milk must have curdled, if not, you may repeat the same for 1 time more. Once milk has curdled properly, pour the milk to the lined strainer ( Don't throw the whey water, save it for making chapati dough which makes chapatis very soft and has good nutrients).
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Gather the kitchen towel from the sides and rinse the chena very well in running water. It will remove the tangy flavour from the chena (coagulated milk) and doesn't let the chena to cook more, so prevents hardening.
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Now a crucial step comes that is correct amount of moisture. Remember one thing excess water or moisture in the chenna will result in broken rasgullas while cooking. So what I do is squeeze the water as much as possible with hand and hang chena for about 30 minutes.
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You may also use another method that is place a heavy weight on the chena for 7 to 8 minutes, but hanging method always works for me. After 30 - 35 min, open the chena and break it into big chunks. Take all piece into mixer jar and grind it, into smooth paste.
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Grind chena only for 1 min else ghee will separate from chena and you will not be able form balls out of it. Now take out the mixture into a large plate. Add semolina and elaichi powder. Now with the heel of your palm start mashing it with little pressure and stop when chena start releasing ghee. You may see greasiness on your hand. It took me around 6-7 minutes as I have grounded it earlier.
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Now chena forms a nice and smooth dough. Now keep a big deep vessel on high flame and pour 5 cup of water into it. Add 1 cup of sugar and let it come to a boil. I always cook my rasgulla in 1:5 ratio (sugar:water). Meanwhile you can prepare chena balls, pinch small portions from the chena and roll them between your palms to a smooth round ball. Prepare all this way.
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Now once sugar-water come to boil slide gently all the cheese balls into it and cover the lid immediately, so that steam remain inside vessel. Cook for about 5 on high heat and then turn the flame to minimum possible flame. Now cook it covered for next 15 minutes on lowest flame. Rasgulla are now cooked. You may check it by pressing a sponge with your finger if it bounces back to its original shape, its cooked.
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Now take a another pot and add some room temperature water. Shift all cooked rasgulla into it. You can see how puffy they have turned. Freshwater is necessary because they retain their shape when immersed in fresh water.
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I made sugar syrup separately by adding 1 ½ cup of sugar to 3 cups of water. Add some threads of saffron, elaichi powder and kewra essence. Bring to boil and simmer it for 7- 8 minutes and sugar syrup is ready. Nearly 1 thread sugar syrup is required.
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Squeeze sponge in between your palm and soak into sugar syrup for 1 hour. Spongy Rasgulla are ready to serve now or refrigerate them and serve later. They taste best after soaking them overnight. The melt-in-your mouth texture of the rasgulla will make you crave to finish all at one go. Heavenly delicious spongy rasgulla could make you win hearts of your family.