Rasgulla Recipe
Rasgulla, which literally means syrup filled ball, is an eastern desert which stands atop all the sweets that is being sold in South Asia. It is a sweet that finds its place in many marriages, festivities and makes its way to peoples’ mouth and rules over their taste buds. It is made from chena which is a version of cheese that originated from India. It is believed to have originated from West Bengal in 1868 and others say that it originated from Odisha. In 2017 West Bengal Government got Geographical Indication (GI) for Rasgulla specifically called “Banglar rosogolla” as it is different in texture and taste from the Odisha’s “Pahala Rasagulla”. In Odisha it is believed that goddess Laxmi made this desert for Lord Jagannath and it is also made in temples for ‘Voga’ which is a offering to God. A simple yet divine taste that is bestowed on Humanity by Goddess. Let’s make it.
Cow milk: 1 litre
Sugar: 1 cup
White vinegar: 2 tbsp
To make rasgulla we are going to take 1 liter of cow milk in a boiling pan. Keep it on a high flame until it comes to a boil. After it comes to a boil, we shall add 2 tbsp of white vinegar. Keep on stirring until the ‘chena’ separates from milk leaving water. Separate the ‘chena’ from the milk by sieving the water from it. Wash the ‘Chena’ in normal drinking water so that the smell of vinegar gets out from the ‘chena’. Squeeze out the remaining water from the ‘chena’.
In a flat plate take the ‘chena’ and mash them gently until they become soft and granulated. This process shall take you maximum 15 minutes. After that start making small rasgulla balls from it. If cracks are being formed on the balls, that means the ‘chena’ has not been mashed properly. Again, mash them properly.
Make rasgulla balls of size as you see fit. From one liter milk you can make approximately 14 to 15 small and 7-8 big rasgulla balls. Now we shall take 1 cup sugar in pan to boil. You can increase the sugar depending on your taste or calorie intake. To the sugar we shall add 5 cups of water. Water shall also play a factor in adjusting the sweetness of Rasgulla. Put the flame on medium and wait until the sugar dissolves properly in water and the water comes to light boil. Stir them slightly during boil so that the sugar gets dissolved quicker. After the sugar gets properly dissolved, we shall put the gas on high flame or if you are using induction, then put it on high temperature. Wait until the syrup (chasni) comes to a boil. We have to cook the Rasgulla balls on a high flame otherwise the balls will break to pieces. After syrup comes to a boil, add the rasgulla balls to it. During cooking take note not to cover the pan and stir them very gently so that they get cooked evenly all-around. Keep on stirring the syrup (chasni) during cooking so that the sugar does not settle down the pan. After 10-12 minutes of cooking, cover the pan with lid and put the flame to medium. Let them cook for another 10 minutes. After that take one rasgulla out on a spoon and gently press it. If the rasgulla feels spongy, then we have reached our goal. Stop the flame. Let it cool for 3 hours in room temperature. After that You can put it in the fridge for 1 hour as sweet tastes the best when it is cold. Then enjoy.
If you like the recipes provided in this site be sure to share among friends and families so that they can also taste these amazing dishes.
Photo by Divya Jain: https://www.pexels.com/photo/round-foods-in-a-bowl-8788869/