Rasgullas

Rasgullas, those syrup dripping, heavenly balls, so dear to anyone with a sweet tooth, Bengali or otherwise. i have always had this notion that rasgullas originated from Bengal. This notion was shattered by a google search which led me to wikipedia which went on to enlighten me that this sweet actually originated from Orissa and made its way to Bengal during Bengal renaissance.

i don’t like the spongy tinned ones, though i remember eating them with relish when i was a kid ignorant of the fact that melt-in-the-mouth rasgullas exist! i like the ones you get at VIP sweets in Calcutta. The other day, my husband bought some from Banful in Brick Lane and i fell in love with them and gobbled them up.

i have always wanted to make rasgullas from scratch. i did try once long time back but it was one of those culinary disasters. i had to mask my failure by converting those wanna be rasgullas to ras malai!

i gathered courage to try it once again and this time, i was rewarded with rasgullas that made me proud of myself, not that i need much to swell with pride!

As with all recipes i get from the net, i find it tough to acknowledge one recipe because, given my cynical nature, i search for about 10 (sometimes more) different versions of the recipe and then come up with one that has a little bit of everything. Maybe that is one way of fooling myself that it is my own unique recipe and resolving myself of the crime of not giving due where deserved.

Conscience thus silenced, here is the recipe:

RASGULLAS RECIPE:

Things you need:

4 cups of milk (all the recipes i read called for 4 cups of milk; of course i had to use 5 cups for two reasons – one, i can never follow a recipe to a T and two, the husband who was hovering nearby and who is such a glutton for sweets was instigating me to use more in the hope that more rasgullas would be spawned. You can use 4 cups and save 1 cup for tea.)

2 tablespoons lime (you might need more like i did but start with 2 tablespoons. If the milk refuse to curdle like it did for me, well, go on and add more until the stubborn milk curdles. i know, my recipes are so damn unreliable!)

2 cups of sugar

3 cardamon (elaichi) pods

2 cups of water

1 teaspoon flour

To make the chhena:

Chhena

Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan so that it does not stick at the bottom. After it has reduced to about 3/4th, slowly add the lime juice. When you see the water start separating and becomes a pale green colour, switch the heat off.

In a colander lined with a cheesecloth, pour and strain. Run cold water over it to wash away the lime flavour (unless of course you want lime-flavoured rasgullas). Squeeze the water out completely – you can hang the cheesecloth and let gravity do some of the job for you. There, your chhena is ready.

To make the rasgullas:

Rasgullas in the making

Knead the chhena along with the flour till you have a soft dough – you should be able to make a ball without any crack in it. Cover this with a moist cloth and keep for 30 minutes. Divide this into about 10-12 portions and make smooth balls by rolling it between your palms. For variety, i made some small balls as well.

Take about 1 cup of water in a pan and add 1 cup of sugar and the cardamon pods. When the sugar has dissolved, add the chhena balls into it. Cover and cook until the balls have doubled in size. Remove the balls and set aside.

For the syrup:

Boil 1 cup of water along with 1 cup of sugar. Let it reduce to a one string consistency – i.e. you should see a thin string when a drop is tested between your thumb and forefinger. If you are still confused, well, take a drop of the liquid between the thumb and forefinger. When you separate your two fingers, you should be able to see a fine string.

Immerse the rasgullas into it. Have the patience to wait till things cool down. Now, go ahead and indulge your sweet tooth.

Tips:

You can use a cooker to cook the chhena balls. i guess two whistles should do the trick. Or you could stick to a pan where you can watch the entire process in action instead of getting yourself into knots wondering what the chhena balls are upto inside the closed cooker.