Bengali Rasgulla (Without Maida) - Soft Spongy Rasgulla's

 Rasgulla's is a Popular Bengali Sweet, made with curdled Milk. It is known for its Soft Spongy Texture. Milk is curdled, then obtained chenna is seperated from whey water by draining it in muslin cloth. Then obtained chenna is kneaded into soft dough, then cooked in a sugar Syrup, till is spongy.  It is made during festive occasions like dussehra & diwali. 

            Chenna is a base Recipe for Most of Bengali Sweets. Sandesh,Rasamalai,Chum Chum & kalakand are made from chenna. 

Bengali Rasgulla

 Prep Time :  30   hours. 

Cook Time : 40   minutes per Roti.

Recipe Category :Sweet

Recipe Cusine  Bengali

Ingredients

Milk - 1 litre (i Used Green Aavin Milk).
Lemon - 2 tbsp .
Water - 4 tbsp.

Sugar Syrup

Sugar - 2 cups.
Water - 4 cups.

Preparation

Make a lemon juice & keep it ready  in a small bowl & add 4 tbsp of water to it.

Method

How to Prepare Chenna.

1. Take a wide Heavy bottomed vessel, add 1 litre of milk. Heat it.
2. When Milk boils, keep the flame to low & add lemon juice little by little.stir Regularly.

3. When Milk curdles completely,switch off the flame.

4. Place a colander over a large bowl & line it with a muslin cloth.

5. Now Pour the curdled Milk in a Muslin Cloth & filter it, as shown in the Picture.

6. Whey water is collected in bowl. 

7. Now wash the chenna with cold water, to remove lemon sourness in chenna.

8. Tie the Muslin cloth & hang it for atleast one hour. Till the whey water completely drains.

9. (squeeze it to remove excess water, as much as possible). 

10.  Now chenna is obtained.

you can use whey water later to make chapathi dough or gravies, it is filled with nutrients.

11. Then knead the obtained chenna in your palms softly, at least for 10 minutes to break the granules & to form a smooth texture . 

12. It should become soft & smooth without any granules.

13. Then gather it to make a smooth dough. This is an important step in making Rasgulla's.

14.  Then divide the dough into equal portions & hold smooth balls,by rolling the dough between your palms.

To Make Sugar Syrup

 15.  Take a Heavy bottomed vessel, add 4 cups of water & 2 cups of sugar. Mix well.

16. Cook in a Medium high flame, when sugar dissolves, cook for another 5 minutes.

17. When water starts boiling & bubbling, Place all the balls one by one.(Vessel should be wide, because Rasgulla's , May double in size).

18. Cook for 9 - 10 minutes, in same heat by covering the lid.

19. Open the lid in between, move the Rasgulla's to centre, it may move to corners. 

20. After 10 minutes switch off the flame & remove the vessel from stove, to avoid further cooking. Now the Rasgulla's doubled in size.

21. Let the Rasgulla's be in vessel itself for 15 minutes, Don't open the lid, till the vessel completely cools. 

23. Serve chilled. if desired Garnish with  chopped nuts or Saffron.

Notes

• I used Green aavin Milk to make Rasgulla's. you can use full fat Cream Milk.
• I used 2 tbsp of lemon juice with 4 tbsp of water.
• Wash chenna with one cup of water, to remove excess sourness in lemon.
• Knead the chenna softly for 10 minutes to get soft smooth Rasgulla's.
• you can add pinch of cardamom powder in sugar syrup, if you like the taste.
• Always cook in same flame, if cooked in high flame there may be chances of breaking Rasgulla's, or it turns Rubbery.
• if  you feel Rasgulla's are over cooked, you can add 1/2 cup of chill water in a cooking pan, to avoid breaking.

How to check Rasgulla's are Cooked

• Place the Rasgulla's in bowl of water, if it sinks it is cooked.
• you can press the Rasgulla's if it bounces back it is cooked.

Video for Breaking Chenna

you can also pulse the chenna in mixie once or twice to break the granules & to get soft & smooth dough.