Bengali Rasgullas Part 1
Instructions
1. Boil the milk. Keep aside for 5 to 7 minutes till its temp. drops to 70 cg.
2. Take 5 cups of sugar in 2 cups of water. Put the container on low flame. Stir sugar solution continuously till sugar is dissolved completely.
3. Raise the flame. Add 1/4 cup of milk in it. Milk will bring impurities to surface. Add 1/4 cup of water. Slow down the flame so that layer of impurities is not disturbed. After 5 to 10 min, remove impurities carefully. Sieve the syrup and keep aside.
4. Curdle the milk by pouring whey water in it slowly while continuously stirring it.U will see separation of white curd and green transparent liquid.
5. Keep it for 5 min.Strain it through thin cotton cloth.Squeeze the cloth to remove water. Press the cloth on a vessel with both of your hand to remove water.
6. Break 2 soap nuts. Add 3 tbs water and boil it for few minutes till water becomes light brown. Prepare this water few hours before.
7. Remove Paneer or chhenna from cloth. Kneed it well till it becomes smooth and soft dough. Make 10 equal balls from it by rolling the dough between your palms.
8. Put the sugar on flame. Remove 4 ladles of syrup and add equal amount of warm water to keep thin syrup. Keep this aside for later use. We will soak Rasgullas after they are ready. Make a thick syrup. There should not be any string formation between your thumb and finger. You should feel stickiness when testing the consistency of syrup.
9. Add Aritha water i.e. Soap nut water in syrup.U will see a large froth reaching to top of container.
10. Add paneer balls and let them cook for 10 to 15 min.Continue to add warm water at regular 2 to 3 min interval to keep the consistency of syrup at constant 3/4 string. After 10 minutes of cooking add water every minute.
11. Rasgullas when ready will float on the surface of syrup and will show fine network of lines or cracks.
12. Remove them carefully and quickly in thin syrup. Keep at room temp for 3 hours. Add Rose water and serve with smile.
Tips:
1. Good amount of froth is very imp. to cook Rasgullas.
2. Rasgullas should be cooked at high flame continuously.
3. You can take corn starch or Maida dissolved in water in place of Aritha water.
4. Follow all the steps strictly and gently remove rasgullas after they are cooked.
5. Keep them at room temp for at least 3 hrs in thin syrup, which helps to give them round shape
