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The Best Rosogolla | Rasgulla
Author: Rumki Paul
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Bengali
Preparation Time:
Cooking time:
Total time:
Servings: 6 Persons (10-12 Rasgullas)
Hello friends, today I have completed my 100th blog post. On this special occasion of my life, I have come up with an epic dessert recipe and pride of Bengal and Odissa – Rosogolla | Rasgulla. The name itself, tells us about many stories of history. Rosogolla is a palatable soft, spongy and juicy dessert where Chenna balls (Indian Cottage Cheese balls) are cooked in light sugar syrup.
My story behind preparing Rosogolla/Rasgulla at home
Surprising facts about Rosogolla/Rasgulla
The origin of Rosogolla/Rasgulla
Shall we use readymade Paneer for preparing Rasgulla?
What kind of Chenna should be used for preparing perfect Rosogolla/Rasgulla?
How to understand the moisture of Chenna for preparing perfect Rosogolla/Rasgulla?
How to knead the Chenna for preparing perfect Rosogolla/Rasgulla?
How to make the Chenna balls?
How to prepare Sugar Syrup for Rosogolla/Rasgulla?
How to remove the dirt of Sugar syrup?
What kind of utensils to be used for Rosogolla/Rasgulla?
Difficulty level of preparing Rosogolla/Rasgulla
Most frequently asked questions for preparing Rosogolla/Rasgulla
Why do Rasgullas break during the time of boiling in Syrup?
Why do Rasgullas shrink after boiling in Syrup?
Why do Rasgullas become hard?
Why Rasgullas become flat?
How long Rosogolla/Rasgulla can be stored?
Ingredients:
Instructions:
For preparing Chenna
Serving Instruction
The Best Rosogolla | Rasgulla
Author: Rumki Paul
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Bengali
Preparation Time:
Cooking time:
Total time:
Servings: 6 Persons (10-12 Rasgullas)
Hello friends, today I have completed my 100th blog post. On this special occasion of my life, I have come up with an epic dessert recipe and pride of Bengal and Odissa – Rosogolla | Rasgulla. The name itself, tells us about many stories of history. Rosogolla is a palatable soft, spongy and juicy dessert where Chenna balls (Indian Cottage Cheese balls) are cooked in light sugar syrup.
Rosogolla/Rasgulla is one of the most famous and fabulous desserts in India. As I belong to a Bong family, I always feel nostalgic when I talk about Rasgullas. I have thousands of sweet memories with this delicious dessert.
My story behind preparing Rosogolla/Rasgulla at home
In India, this dessert is easily available in sweet shops and that is the reason that I never tried to prepare this juicy delight at home when in India. But when I came to London, one day I had craving for Rasgullas and I decided to prepare it at home.
To be honest, I failed to prepare Perfect Rasgullas for the first few times. The very first time when I tried it, the dough became hard because of over kneading. The next time the Rasgullas became flat in shape again because of imperfectness. But I kept on learning from my mistakes. I was only able to prepare perfect Rosogollas on my fourth attempt. So, today I have come up with the recipe of perfect Bengali Rosogollas with all the tips and tricks.
Now my friends and relatives complement me for this dessert. My husband is a big fan of these homemade Rosogolla/Rasgullas. My daughter loves it too and it is such a great feeling which can’t be expressed in words.
Surprising facts about Rosogolla/Rasgulla
For Bengalis, each occasion is incomplete without Rasgulla whether its Puja or marriage, birthday or Griha-Prabesh. We always celebrate our happiness with sweets and of course, Rasgullas are the first choice and preference of every Bong. But most of the people in Bengal buy this dessert from sweet shops and they don’t know how to prepare it.
I know it sounds weird but its true. No one in my family or among my relatives know how to prepare Rasgullas. They always buy this dessert from outside.
The origin of Rosogolla/Rasgulla
Rosogolla/Rasgulla is one of the most popular dessert in India. It originated in East India but there is a big controversy for the birth place of Rosogolla. Few people claim that it is originated in West Bengal whereas few others claim that the birthplace of Rosogolla/Rasgulla is Odisha. But later, they clarified that the tastes of Banglar Rosogolla and the one from Odisha are different from each other.
Shall we use readymade Paneer for preparing Rasgulla?
Answer is No. Though you can mash Paneer to a smooth dough but Rasgullas can’t be prepared with that. Before preparing Rasgulla, we should know the difference between Chenna and Paneer.
Many people get confused with Chhana (Chhena) and Paneer. Both are prepared by curdling the milk by adding Lemon juice, Vinegar or sour Yogurt. Both are fresh cottage cheese. But the texture of Chhena and Paneer are completely different. Chhena is much softer and moister than Paneer.
After preparing Chenna, put it on a muslin cloth and squeeze out the water. Put weight on it for few hours. Then the excess water will get released gradually, and it will become Paneer.
What kind of Chenna should be used for preparing perfect Rosogolla/Rasgulla?
- Never use readymade Chenna for preparing Rosogolla/Rasgulla
- Never prepare Chenna hours before to reduce workload for preparing Rasgulla
- Always use fresh and full fat milk for preparing the Chhena
- To curdle the milk, you can either use Lemon, Vinegar or sour Yogurt
How to understand the moisture of Chenna for preparing perfect Rosogolla/Rasgulla?
This is the most important and tricky part of the recipe. If the Chenna has excess moisture, then Rasgullas will break while boiling in Sugar Syrup and if the Chenna is dry then the Rasgullas would become hard.
To understand the perfect moisture of Chenna, experience is the key to success. The Chenna should be dry enough that water should not drop from it. On the other hand, the Chenna should be moist enough that you can made smooth Chenna balls without any lines or cracks.
Today, I am going to share my experience with you. This will guide you to make minimum or no mistakes that I myself made before.
- After curdling the Milk, put a muslin cloth on a strainer and drain out the water.
- With the help of a spatula, stir the Chenna gently for a minute to let it cool down.
- Put the Chenna on a muslin cloth and gather all the corners of the cloth in your hand.
- Put it near to the tap and pour cold water over the cloth and not to the Chenna directly.
- Don’t wash the Chenna directly. The oil of the Chenna will get washed out and Chenna will become spongy which will not be perfect texture for Bengali Rasgulla.
- Squeeze very delicately and tie a tight knot.
- Hang the Chenna to drain out the extra water.
For more details go through the steps of the method.
Tip: One sound advice from my side, if you feel anything is wrong with the Chenna, like the Chenna is too dry or moist and you are not getting the crumble texture then drop the plan for Rasgulla that day. For perfect Rasgulla, you would always require the Chenna to be perfect. In fact, you can use the Chenna to prepare other desserts like Kalakand (Milk Cake) or savoury items like Malai kofta, Chanar dalna or Patal paneer.
How to knead the Chenna for preparing perfect Rosogolla/Rasgulla?
It is a very important part of the recipe. First, it depends on the pressure and force that we are applying and then how fast we are applying it to knead the Chenna. Its not only about time but also the basic thing is to break the grains and to make a soft and smooth dough with the Chenna.
Put the pressure of your palm to break the grains of Chenna. Gather them at a place and again knead in the same process until the dough becomes soft and smooth. Perfect knead results in smooth and even Chenna balls which will go to sugar syrup.
If you over knead the Chenna then its oil will get released and Rasgullas will become hard and it may shrink later on as it gets cooled off.
Tip: I always add very small amount of fine Rawa (Semolina) in Chenna for perfect Rasgullas. It gives better binding and texture to the Rasgullas.
How to make the Chenna balls?
After kneading the Chenna, divide it in small but equal portions. Take one small portion at a time in your hand and fist your hand repetitively by rotating the Chenna portion. The pressure that you would apply with your palm and fingers will make the body of the Chenna portion’s smooth in texture. Then with help of your two hands, roll it in between your palm and make a smooth round ball.
For perfect Rasgulla, there should not be any cracks and lines on the Chenna balls.
How to prepare Sugar Syrup for Rosogolla/Rasgulla?
To prepare a perfect Rasgulla, sugar syrup should be light in density but should be enough sweet. As we know Rasgullas are spongy, soft, juicy and at the same time they are perfectly balanced on sweetness.
To prepare the Sugar syrup, I have used 1:2 ratio of Sugar and Water i.e. for 2 cups of Water, I would proportionate it by 1 cup of Sugar. This is the standard measurement for preparing classic Rasgullas. If you prefer less sweet, then you can deduct 1-2 tablespoons of Sugar from each cup.
Don’t use more sugar for sugar syrup because the syrup will become thick. Don’t over boil the syrup too as that can also result in thick syrup. Chenna balls never get cooked perfectly in thick Sugar syrup.
After adding Sugar into Water, once the syrup gets boiled and properly dissolved, immediately dunk the Chenna balls into the syrup.
White refined sugar results best for sugar syrup. Never use brown sugar for this recipe.
How to remove the dirt of Sugar syrup?
If you observe some dirt in the sugar syrup, then add 1-2 tablespoon milk in it and boil. The dirt will float with the froth. Discard the dirty froth with the help of a spoon or spatula.
This is the easiest and reliable home remedy to remove the dirt off the sugar syrup.
What kind of utensils to be used for Rosogolla/Rasgulla?
For preparing the Rasgullas, always use wide neck and large utensils where all the Chenna balls can get enough space to get cooked. In sugar syrup, the Chenna balls pop up to be double in size. The utensils must have enough space where the balls can increase in size and can rotate in boiling syrup.
Hot Rasgullas are very delicate and soft in texture. If they don’t get enough space and get touched with each other, then the Rasgullas may break.
Difficulty level of preparing Rosogolla/Rasgulla
Rasgulla is a unique dessert which needs very minimum ingredients to be prepared. Though it sounds very easy but the difficulty level of preparing Rasgulla is high.
They may break due to excess moisture in Chenna or for small size of the utensil. They may become hard for dry Chenna and can also shrink due to over kneading of the Chenna or over cooking.
It’s very difficult to prepare perfect Rasgullas on the first attempt. But surprisingly when someone learns to prepare it nothing can be easier than preparing this dessert.
Most frequently asked questions for preparing Rosogolla/Rasgulla
Why do Rasgullas break during the time of boiling in Syrup?
The most common reason behind it is excess moisture in Chenna.
One more reason can be the size of the utensil. If Rasgullas don’t get enough space to pop up while being cooked and they touch to each other in the syrup, then they may break.
If spoon is used to turn the Rasgullas in syrup during the time of cooking, even then it may break because they are very soft and delicate at that time.
Why do Rasgullas shrink after boiling in Syrup?
The most common reason behind it is over kneading of Chenna. If you over knead then the oil of the Chenna will get released. This would make the Rasgullas hard and cause it to shrink.
Sometimes wrong size of utensil and temperature of the flame are also responsible for the Rasgullas to shrink.
Why do Rasgullas become hard?
Mostly Rasgullas become hard because of dry Chenna and over kneading. In both the cases, oil gets released out of the Chenna.
For Rasgullas, Chenna should be prepared from full fat milk. Otherwise, the quality of Chenna may cause different improper results.
Why Rasgullas become flat?
If Rasgullas are cooked in a utensil where Chenna balls are not dipped in the syrup properly then they become flat. It is one of the reasons for flat Rasgullas.
If you don’t cook the Channa balls properly in correct temperature, then Rasgullas can also become flat.
How long Rosogolla/Rasgulla can be stored?
Rasgulla is a very delicate sweet and it must be refrigerated after getting cool. Rasgullas are cooked in light Sugar syrup and that’s why they have lesser preservation power than other dry sweets like Barfi, Laddo etc. It can be stored in refrigerator for a maximum of seven days.
I have already shared many other Indian dessert recipes. You can check few of them like
..And Many more…
Ingredients:
- 1 litre full fat Milk
- 1 Lemon
- 1 teaspoon fine Rawa (Semolina)
- 2 Cardamoms
- 2 cups Sugar
- 4 cups of Water
Instructions:
For preparing Chenna
- Take the milk in a heavy bottom pan.
- Put the flame in medium high and let the milk boil.Tip: While boiling the milk, put the flame in medium and stir occasionally. Otherwise the milk will stick to the bottom of the pan and a burning smell will get into the milk.
- Put the flame in lowest.
- On the other side, cut the Lemon into two pieces.
- Squeeze out the Lemon juice in a bowl.
- Make sure no pulps and seeds are there in the juice.
- Add the Lemon juice slowly into the milk (Step 3).
- Stir it slowly and let the milk curdle.
- Stir for 1-2 minutes in lowest flame.
- On the other hand, place a colander in the sink of kitchen and put a Muslin cloth on the colander.
- While the water gets separated from the curdled milk, switch off the flame.
- Pour the curdled milk immediately to the Muslin cloth. You need to be fast in this step otherwise Chenna will get overcooked.
- With the help of a spatula, stir the Chenna gently for a minute to cool it off.
- Gather the corners of the cloth.
- Put the Chenna into the running water.
- Rinse the Chenna carefully over the cloth, water should not go directly into the Chenna. This helps to remove the Lemon flavour off the Chenna and the Chenna would also become cool.
- Squeeze the excess water very delicately 2-3 times. Don’t over squeeze the Chenna. If the Chenna becomes dry, then Rasgullas will be hard.
- Then tie a tight knot of the cloth.
- Hang the Chenna for 30 minutes.
- Add water and sugar into a large pan with wide neck and put the flame on high.
- Add Cardamoms and stir the syrup occasionally.
- Once it starts boiling check whether it has any dirt inside the syrup.
- If you observe any dirt then add 1-2 tablespoons milk.
- While the syrup starts boiling, the dirt will come on the top like froth.
- Discard the dirt with the help of a spoon.
- Don’t overboil the syrup, it may become thick.
- After 30 minutes put the Chenna on a large plate.
- Break the Chenna with the help of fingers.
- Add 1 teaspoon fine Semolina.
- Put the pressure of your palm to break the grains of Chenna. Gather them at a place and again knead in the same process for 4-5 minutes.
- Knead the Chenna until the dough becomes soft and smooth.
- Divide the dough into 11-12 equal portions.
- Take one small portion at a time in your hand and fist your hand repetitively by rotating the Chenna portion.
- This process helps the body of the Chenna portions to become smooth.
- With the help of your two hands, roll the Chenna portion in between your palm and make a smooth round ball.
- Dunk the Chenna balls into the boiling sugar syrup one by one immediately.
- If the flame is too big then put the flame in medium and if the flame is normal, then put the flame on high.
- Cover the pan and let them cook for 10 minutes.
- Don’t stir the Rasgullas. They are very soft and may break. While they get boiled in the sugar syrup, they will rotate automatically.
- After 10 minutes, the size of the balls will get doubled.
- Put the flame in low and cook for another 6-8 minutes.
- Take a glass of water and add one Rasgulla into the glass. If the rasgulla touches the bottom, then the Rasgulla is done. If the Rasgulla floats in water, then need to be cooked for some more time and again go for the glass test.
- Switch off the flame and transfer the covered pan on a grill to rest.
- Allow the Rasgullas to cool down for an hour.
For making the sugar syrup
For making the Chenna balls
For cooking the balls in sugar syrup
Serving Instruction
Always serve Rosogolla/Rasgulla chilled or in room temperature. Take the Rasgullas out in a serving bowl with some sugar syrup and serve immediately.
I would like to share one more experience of mine with you. In small towns of Benga,l even hot or warm Rasgullas are very famous and people often buy them from sweet shops. Hot/warm Rasgullas are very soft and tender and has its own unique taste. If you like to try then undoubtedly go for it.
18 comments
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Your Rasmalai is super perfect. I followed your step by step instructions & it’s turned out awesome. Going use it for my Rasmalai cake. Thank you so much for sharing amazing recipes with us. I am a big fan of your recipes. Good luck 👍🏻
Amazing & great recipe. I’ll definitely try this simple recipe in my kitchen.
Thanks !!
Thank you for your kind feedback. I glad that you are following my recipes and are liking them too.
[…] Supply : Rumki’s Golden Spoon […]
[…] Every Bengali is a foodie and they are proud of it. As a bong, I have been brought up eating rosogolla, Sandesh, chamcham and various other Bengali sweets prepared with chena. My dad used to buy fresh […]
Hi Tami,
Thank you for your compliment.
Perfect Chenna is the key for preparing perfect Rasgullas. Sometimes even due to over kneading, Rasgullas can become flat or hard.
Very good tip, you gave a lot of details. How do you keep your rasagulla shape sphere? My comes out a disk shape.
I have tried five times and have overcome the problem oh hardness and breakage…now the problem is they dont taste good… it looks like sweet paneer to me….. though the shape and looks are perfect. The sponge mesh on breakage is missing
Thank you so much Rumkiji..will definitely try again
Hi Nisha J !!
Glad to know that you tried the recipe and almost got to perfection. Its really great that you almost got successful on your attempt. For Rosogollas, you need to have perfect Chenna, which would slowly come with experience. On the other hand, the dough should also be kneaded properly. You can refer those sections on this blog for more details. These are the only two reasons for which your Rosogollas can become hard.
Dear Rumki ji,
You have explained the whole process beautifully..i tried the recipe and it came out nice but the rasogullas were not that soft and it kind of stuck to the teeth while eating.. What could be the reason?
You can try to make "Chanar Payesh" or a kind of "Rasmalai" with them.
My rasogullas broke while boiling
Wht to make out of them
Thwy r tasty and soft
Hi Ankita!! Happy to know that you tried preparing Rosogolla. It is indeed quite difficult to make perfect Rosogolla at the first attempt and needs a bit of practice. Unfortunately, there is no recipe to reuse hard rasgullas. But you can try to prepare Kalakand with them by grinding the hard rasgullas and then cooking it in condensed milk, though it would not be anything near the perfect recipe.
I made Rasgulla for the first time but the attempt failed. It got hard after putting in Sugar syrup. Can we use hard rasgulla for any other recipes???