BENGALI SPONGE RASGULLA

Sponge Rasgulla is one of the most popular and delectable sweet recipes from East India, particularly Odisha and West Bengal. The beautiful dessert is made from fresh chhena or the curdled milk solids, which are kneaded to a smooth dough and then boiled in sugar syrup until light and spongy. Not to mention, the juicy milk-based dessert is loved by people all across India and besides being addictive, it is also quite light on the palette unlike other heavy Indian sweets that are usually made using khoya.

Though making rasgulla is not difficult, it still requires a little practice and patience to get that right texture, which means it should have that porous net like appearance inside when cooked. This porous net ensures that syrup is perfectly absorbed making them immensely juicy. And it is due to this net that when rasgullas are squeezed, they get back to their shape again. Having said that, getting that perfect texture requires few points to be taken care of:

1.  Quality of Milk - Always go for full fat cow's milk. If you are not able to get cow's milk, try to lay your hands on low fat buffalo milk. I used the toned Amul's milk. Never ever make rasgullas using tetra pack milk.
2. Texture of Chhena - Chhena should always be made fresh by curdling the milk. It should be soft and must be hanged in the muslin cloth for about 1 hour. For me, 1 hour always works: chhena is dried during this time yet maintains a little moisture. Note that over drying chhena would make them hard and chewy after cooking. And if the chhena is too moist, it will disintegrate while boiling in sugar syrup. So, do take care of drying the chhena to the right texture. 
3. Time to Knead Chhena - Chhena should be kneaded with the back of your palm until it is smooth and grain free. Also, kneading of it should be stopped as soon as your hands start getting greasy. 
4. Consistency of Sugar Syrup - The sugar syrup has to be liquidy without any string consistency. I keep the sugar:water ratio as 1:3.5 that is, 1 cup sugar in 3.5 cups of water. Also, the syrup has to be constantly on a rolling boil when cooking the rasgullas, which means the flame should be on medium-high all throughout. 
5. Vessel for Cooking the Rasgullas - Vessel in which you cook or boil the rasgullas also plays an important role. As the rasgullas cook, they double up in size, therefore, it is important that you use a wide pan to accommodate them. Also, the pan should be deep enough so that rasgullas are always dunked in the syrup while being boiled. 
6. Cooking Time - I cook the rasgullas for 25 to 30 minutes and that has always resulted in perfectly cooked rasgullas. However, you can check for their doneness by removing a piece in a bowl of water. If it sinks, the gullas are cooked. If it floats, it means they require some more cooking. Also, do not remove the lid while the rasgullas are cooking. 

BENGALI SPONGE RASGULLA

INGREDIENTS

• Full fat cow's milk or low fat buffalo milk - 1 liter
• Maida, if required - 1/2 tbsp
• Lemon juice - 2 tbsp diluted with 2 tbsp of water
• Sugar - 2 cups
• Water - 7 cups
• Saffron strands (optional) - for garnish
• Rose water (optional) - 1 to 2 tbsp

BENGALI SPONGE RASGULLA

BENGALI SPONGE RASGULLA

METHOD

1. Bring the milk to a boil. I used toned Amul milk as I could not find the cow's milk. Also, it's the lockdown period, hence Amul milk was the only one which I could comfortably lay my hands on.
2. Let the milk cool down for 5 minutes. 
3. Put the diluted lemon juice little by little until you see the green whey separating. Never curdle the hot boiling milk as it may result in hard chhena. You can use vinegar too to curdle the milk.
4. Immediately strain the chhena using a muslin or cheese cloth. Wash it with cold water so that cooking of chhena is stopped as well as the citrus smell is gone.
5. Squeeze the excess water from the chhena and hang it for about 1 hour so that it gets dried.
6. After an hour, remove the chhena on a platter. If it feels too crumbly and dry, add about a tbsp of water. If it feels a little watery, add about half a tbsp of maida.
7. Knead and mash the chhena to a smooth dough using the heel of your palm. Stop kneading once your hands start getting greasy.
8. Pinch out lemon sized portions from the chhena and shape into smooth crack-free balls.
9. In a deep and wide vessel, add 2 cups of sugar and 7 cups of water.
10. Bring the syrup to a rolling boil. Slide in the chhena balls one by one and cook them covered for 25 to 30 minutes. Keep the flame on medium-high all the while.
11. Don't open the lid in between. Also, do not open the lid immediately after the rasgullas have been cooked. Wait for 10 minutes.
12.  Uncover and let them cool down to room temperature. Mix in rose water.
13. Chill for 7 to 8 hours and then serve.

BENGALI SPONGE RASGULLA