Rasgulla Mithai, Bengali Style Rasgulla

1. If you like rasgulla recipe | Bengali rasgulla recipe | rasgulla at home | chhena rasgulla | given below is the list to similar recipes :
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1. Bengali rosgulla is made using chenna. To make chenna at home, heat the cow’s milk and buffalo’s milk in a broad and deep non-stick pan and bring it to a boil. If buffalo’s milk is not available you can make the recipe using 5 cups of cow’s milk. Ideally, cow’s milk gives best result as it has less fat comparatively and the formation of malai (milk granules) is lesser. Keep stirring in between so that milk does not get stick to the bottom of the pan and get burnt. 
   
2. Switch off the flame and wait for 1 minute.
3. Add the lemon juice gradually and keep stirring gently. Other acidic agents like vinegar or buttermilk can also be used to curdle the milk.
   
4. Allow it to stand for ½ minute to curdle. The milk will curdle and the whey (greenish water) will separate. The whey has to be clear thus indicating the milk has completely curdled. If the milk doesn’t curdle completely, add more lemon juice and stir till the milk curdles completely.
   
5. Place a clean muslin cloth over a strainer and transfer the chenna over it to strain the whey. Whey is nutritious and you can further use it to knead roti/chapati dough or prepare soup and other delicacies.
   
6. Fold all the 4 sides of the muslin cloth and twirl it gently so that all the whey that is in the milk solids gets evenly drained out. Discard or store the whey.
   
7. Place the muslin cloth with the chenna in a bowl of freshwater and wash it 2 to 3 times. Washing with fresh water helps to get rid of the lemon juice and sour flavor of it. Also, the internal cooking stops preventing the chenna from turning rubbery.
   
8. Tie and hang for 30 minutes for the extra water to drain out. If the chenna is too soft, the rasgulla will not retain their shape and break while cooking. Learn how to make Bengali Sponge Rasgulla at home below.
9. To make soft, spongy rasgulla at home, put 5 cups of water in a steamer or a pressure cooker. For an added flavor, you can add some cardamom pods in sugar syrup. Make sure to have enough room for chenna balls to submerge completely and swell double or triple in size while boiling. 
   
10. Add the sugar. You can add more sugar if you like but, do not reduce the quantity of sugar.
    
11. Mix well and bring to a boil, while stirring occasionally so that the sugar dissolves completely.
    
12. Meanwhile, squeeze the muslin cloth to drain any more water remaining. Do not hang the chenna for more than 30 to 45 minutes or else the chenna will be completely dry and rasgulla will turn hard.
    
13. Place the muslin cloth on a flat plate and open it. Many people even add semolina, cornflour or refined flour in the chenna dough but, we won’t be using anything.
    
14. Knead the chenna very well using your palms for 3 to 4 minutes or until it comes together to form a dough and releases some fat. Do not make use of store-bought paneer to prepare the rasgulla recipe. 
    
15. Knead until the chenna is smooth, free of lumps and has no milk granules. If the chenna is not smooth the rosogulla may turn hard. Don’t over knead or else there will be no moisture and rasgulla will develop cracks. 
    
16. Divide the chenna dough into 16 equal portions. Roll each portion into small balls between your palms. Balls should not have any cracks. The size of the rasgulla will double on cooking in the sugar syrup so make smaller balls, to begin with.
    
17. Put the chenna balls into the sugar water.
    
18. Cover and steam for 7 to 8 minutes over a high flame. If you are using a pressure cooker, just put the lid over the cooker, without a whistle. It is important to keep the sugar syrup boiling all the time for cooking the rasgulla perfectly. If rasgullas are overcooked then it will be chewy and rubbery.
19. Switch off the flame and allow it to stand in the steamer for another 10 to 15 minutes. The chenna balls will have doubled in size.
    
20. Remove Bengali rasgulla gently into a bowl. They will shrink a little after switching off the flame but it is normal. Before removing them if you wish to check if the rasgullas are cooked , or not drop a rasgulla in a glass of freshwater. It will sink to the bottom if done or else it will float on top if it is raw from inside. 
    
21. Refrigerate and serve the sponge rasgulla | rasgulla | Bengali rasgulla recipe | rasgulla at home | chhena rasgulla |chilled.  You can add crushed pistachios or saffron strands on top of rasgulla before serving. 
    

1. Q.If I make it in cooker, weight will be kept or not? And for how much time will be cooked? Just put the lid without the ring gasket and whistle. There is no need to put any weight on the pressure cooker.
2. Q. I have tried but the Rasgulla comes hard and not spongy please tell me how to make correctly? Firstly the kneading of the rasgulla dough is very important. Also, the rasgullas are to be cooked on high flame and not slow flame at all. It is very important to cover with a lid and keep it aside for 15 minutes after cooking.
3. Q. My rasgullas were bit flat, taste was good they were soft and sponge. 1) If you got flat or shapeless rasgullas, it is because they aren’t getting enough space to expand. Pick a bigger pot or make your rasgulla in multiple batches. Rasgullas need plenty of space in the syrup to expand and keep their round 2) If the syrup is less or there are too many balls crowding the pot, rasgullas will either become flat or lose their shape. 3) Too thick syrup will also make flat rasgullas