Rasgulla is a very popular sweet treat served as a dessert – It is basically paneer or cheese spongy balls boiled in sugar syrup!!!
This sweet treat is very popular in parts of Bengal and is also called Bengali Rasgulla!!
My preference is to prepare this dish from home made paneer (cheese) – you may also make it from the paneer bought in the local Indian grocery store!!!
Ingredients to make the (Home made) Paneer mix (cheese)
8 Cups Milk
¼ Cup Lime Juice OR
2 Cups of Paneer (from Indian Grocery Store)
1 Tsp Rose Essence
1 Tsp Fine Semolina
For the Syrup
3 Cups Sugar
8 Cups Water
Few Strands Saffron
1 Tsp Rose Essence
- Rasgulla
Preparation
Bring the milk to the boil and reduce the flame and stir it adding the lime juice little by little till it curdles and starts forming small lumps.
Take the pan away from the stove and pour the milk on a muslin cloth through a sieve and keep it aside for all the water to drain for a few hours or overnight.
To prepare the rasgulla mix, bring the cheese together with your hands adding the fine semolina.
Add one teaspoon of the rose essence and knead it to make a very soft dough.
Make small sized balls by placing the dough in the palm of the hands and press it gently between the fingers and the palm.
Prepare the syrup by bringing the water to the boil and adding the sugar to it.
Boil it for 5 minutes. Add the rose essence and the saffron to the syrup.
Drop the cheese balls one by one into the syrup and keep the flame on high for 10 minutes and cook it with the lid open.
After 10 minutes cover the pan with the lid and reduce the flame to the minimum and cook it for 30-40 minutes.
The Rasgullas will almost double in size and is now ready to be served.
Optional to place a sugar crystal in each of the cheese balls when rolling it before dropping into the syrup!