Rasgulla is a delicate cottage cheese ball simmered in cardamom sugar syrup; rasmalai elevates it by soaking the balls in a reduced sweetened milk infused with saffron and pistachios. One recipe yields two distinct Indian desserts.
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FOR RASGULLA:.
Take a heavy bottomed vessel and boil milk. Once its boiled, slowly add the lemon juice and you will find that the milk will curdle and the whey will separate. The whey will become clear which is an indication that the milk has curdled completely. Immediately add about 10-12 ice cubes and turn off flame. Leave aside for 3-4 minutes.
Strain the whey and add the chenna to a damp cheese cloth or a light cotton cloth. Gather the four corners of the cloth and twist it gently and rinse under cold water to remove the sourness of the lemon juice. Tie the ends and hang it at a height and allow the whey from the chenna to drain completely. Leave aside for 30 minutes.
Remove the chenna onto a wide plate. Now knead it gently for 7 minutes till there is no trace of moisture and is absolutely soft on touch. This is a very crucial step in the process of rasgulla making.
While you are kneading the chenna, prepare the sugar syrup. Place a pressure cooker on the stove and add water and sugar and allow the sugar to dissolve. Bring it to a rolling boil. Add a pinch of cardamom pwd.
While the sugar syrup is cooking, make small smooth balls of the kneaded chenna. Ensure there are no cracks on the balls. Slowly add the chenna balls to the boiling sugar syrup. Place lid and pressure cook upto 1 whistle and continue to cook for another 4 minutes.
Turn off heat. Once the pressure is off, remove the lid. The balls will double in size and become light and springy on touch. If you feel that the balls are not cooked yet, place lid and cook for another 5 minutes without the whistle at medium heat.
Remove onto a serving dish, bring to room temp, refrigerate and serve chilled along with sugar syrup at room temp OR proceed to prepare rasmalai.
FOR RASMALAI:.
Take a heavy bottomed vessel and add milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce to medium flame and go on stirring on a constant basis for a good 30 minutes.
Add the sugar syrup and continue to cook for another 20 minutes. Add the cardamom pwd, pistachios and saffron and combine. Boil for another 5 minutes.
While the milk-sugar mixture is boiling, work on the rasagullas. Gently squeeze the rasgullas with a flat ladle such that it forms a patty shape and the syrup is drained out.
Add the flattened rasgullas into the thickened milk and cook on low flame for 5 minutes. They will absorb the sweet syrup and Rasmalai is ready. Turn off heat and cool.
Refrigerate and serve chilled.
Refrigerate rasgulla or rasmalai in an airtight container for up to 3 days; serve chilled. Do not reheat; consume cold.
heavy-bottomed vessel or large pot · pressure cooker · cheese cloth or lightweight cotton cloth · flat ladle or spatula
Chenna is fresh cottage cheese made by curdling milk with lemon juice. Boil 1 quart milk, add 3 tablespoons lemon juice slowly until the milk curdles, then strain and hang the curds in cloth for 30 minutes to drain completely.
Kneading removes all moisture and ensures the chenna is absolutely soft, which prevents cracks in the balls during cooking and helps them expand properly in the sugar syrup.
The balls will double in size and feel light and springy to the touch. If they still feel dense, cover and cook for another 5 minutes on medium heat without the pressure cooker whistle.
The recipe uses a pressure cooker (1 whistle, then 4 minutes). You can simmer gently on stovetop in boiling sugar syrup for 12–15 minutes instead, but monitor closely to avoid overcooking.
Rasgulla is served chilled in its original sugar syrup. Rasmalai flattens the rasgulla balls and simmers them in a reduced, cardamom-saffron-infused milk sauce with pistachios for a creamier, richer dessert.
