Easy Sponge Rasgulla Recipe | How to Make Chena Rasgulla | Rosogolla Bengali Recipe | Homemade Rasgulla Sweet – This is such an easy recipe to make Rasgulla, Rosogolla or Rasagolas, a popular milk based Bengali Sweet. They are soft spongy juicy sweet balls prepared using fresh CHENNA or PANEER.
Celebrating 6 years of blogging with this Easy Rasgulla Recipe.
A lot of sweets in India are milk based and usually they are also the most popular ones. One such popular sweet is Rasgulla. It comes from the state of West Bengal which is famous for its mouth-watering desserts.
Rasgulla is made from “CHENNA” which is obtained by curdling the milk. The Chenna is then mashed to make smooth balls and then cooked in boiling sugar syrup until they turn light and fluffy. Soak in the same syrup for some time, and you get the best soft spongy Bengali Rasgulla. They are easy to make with just a very few ingredients and the best part is that they are not fried. The only problem with making Rasgullas at home is that it doesn’t always turn soft. Actually making this sweet at home is really easy but there are a few points to be kept in mind and you will nail it each and every time you make this juicy delight. I have answered most of the doubts one could get while following this Easy Rasgulla Recipe.
Tips to follow before heading on to this Easy Rasgulla Recipe:
- Use a wide pan for making the rasgullas. They increase in size when dropped in boiling sugar syrup so there should be enough space for the rasgullas to cook in the pan.
- Turn off the heat & cool down a bit before adding the lemon juice/vinegar to curdle milk.
- Squeeze out all the water from the chena before you start mashing it.
- Never prepare Chenna hours before to save time. It will become too dry and you will get hard rasgullas.
- Mash the chena with the heel of your palm for at least 5 to 8 minutes. It should be totally smooth by the end.
- The rasgullas increase in size while they are cooking in the sugar syrup. So don’t make them too big unless you want huge rasgullas.
- The sugar to water ratio should be 1:5. So for 1 cup of sugar you have to add 5 cups of water and boil at high heat.
- Drop the rasgullas in the sugar syrup once it’s completely boiling at high heat.
- The heat has to be high throughout the entire time when the rasgullas are cooking.
- To check if the rasgullas are cooked, drop them in fresh water. They will sink if done completely.
- Transfer cooked rasgullas to ice cold water immediately to avoid shrinking. Completely cool down and transfer from the cold water to the sugar syrup once the sugar syrup has cooled down.
- They taste the best the next day when the rasgullas have soaked the sugar syrup well.
Steps to follow for
Easy Rasgulla Recipe:
Making Rasgulla Dough & Balls:
- Heat full fat milk in a heavy bottom pan. Once the milk comes to a boil, turn off the heat. Let it cool down for 5 minutes.
- Take about 2 to 3 tablespoons of lemon juice in a bowl & dilute with 2 tablespoons of water.
- Add this diluted lemon juice to the milk little by little, constantly stirring until the milk curdles.
- Place a muslin cloth over a strainer and drain the curdled milk. This is “chena” or “paneer”.
- Wash the paneer with 2 cups fresh water to remove the sourness.
- Squeeze the muslin cloth to remove all the water from the chena.
- Hang it for about an hour or two until all the excess water is removed.
- Now, take the chena in a plate. It will be moist & have crumbled texture.
- Mash with the heel of your palm for about 5 minutes till you get a smooth and soft dough. Do not apply too much pressure or over-knead the dough. This is an important step to make sure that the rasgullas are soft.
- The dough should not stick to your fingers
- To this, add 1 teaspoon corn starch and mi it well for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Divide the dough into small portions and roll to smooth balls without any cracks. Cover with a moist cloth and set aside.
Cooking Rasgulla in Sugar Syrup:
- Meanwhile take a large spacious vessel, add in the sugar. To this add 5 cups water and stir well over medium heat until the sugar completely dissolves. Add in 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder.
- Bring this sugar syrup to rolling boil over high heat. Now, add in the rasgulla balls in the boiling sugar syrup. Cover with a lid and cook the rasgullas in sugar syrup for 16-18 minutes on high heat. Rasgullas will double in size. Open the lid, stir once & dip completely. Cover and cook for another 2 minutes and turn off the heat.
- Now drop cooked rasgullas into ice-cold water immediately. This prevents rasgullas from shrinking in size. Completely cool down.
- In a serving bowl, take some of the sugar syrup. Squeeze out the rasgullas from cold water and add them to the sugar syrup.
- Let the rasgullas soak in the sugar syrup for few hours.
- Refrigerate the rasgullas with the syrup and serve chilled or at room temperature.
FAQ regarding Rasgulla Preparation:
What is the difference between fresh CHENNA OR PANEER
The process of making a CHENNA or PANEER is the same. Both are prepared by curdling the milk by adding Lemon juice, Vinegar or sour Yogurt. I have already detailed the recipe on how to make fresh paneer at home with step by step instructions. Chenna is much softer and moister than paneer and is generally in crumbled form.
Whereas, Paneer is a shape given to chenna. It is made into blocks so that it could be used in different paneer dishes be it savoury or sweet. This is a very versatile ingredient and can be used in the main course as in Paneer Butter Masala, Matar Paneer, Palak Paneer, Tandoori Paneer Tikka and many more.
Can we use readymade Paneer for preparing Rasgulla?
Answer is a clear No. Though you can mash Paneer to a smooth dough but Rasgullas can’t be prepared with that.
What kind of Chenna should be used for preparing Rasgulla?
Never use readymade Chenna for preparing Rasgulla.
And also never prepare Chenna hours before to save time for preparing Rasgulla.
How to understand the right moisture in Chenna for preparing 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.
The Chenna should be dry enough that water should not drop from it. At the same time, the Chenna should be moist enough that you can made smooth Chenna balls without any lines or cracks. You will get this with experience.
Why do Rasgullas break while boiling in Sugar Syrup?
The most common reasons behind this is either excess moisture in Chenna or the size of the utensil.
If Rasgullas don’t get enough space to increase in size and rotate while cooking in sugar syrup, they touch to each other in the syrup and may break.
They may also break If using a spoon to turn the Rasgullas in syrup while cooking as they are very soft and delicate at that time. So, be very gentle in case you stir them.
Why Rasgullas become flat?
If Chenna balls are not immersed properly in the syrup or overcrowded, then they become flat while cooking. So, a deep spacious utensil with wide neck works best. It is one of the reasons for flat Rasgullas.
Rasgullas can also become flat if you don’t cook the Channa balls properly at right temperature.
Why do Rasgullas become hard?
Mostly Rasgullas become hard because of dry Chenna and over kneading. In both the cases, oil is released out of the Chenna.
For Rasgullas, Chenna should be prepared from full fat milk. The quality of Chenna is very important for perfect results.
The other trick to avoid hard rasgullas is to not add too much sugar. If one adds too much water the rasgullas will not be spongy and might turn a bit hard.
Why do Rasgullas shrink after boiling in Syrup?
Over kneading of Chenna is the most common reason behind this. Over kneading releases oil from the Chenna and the Rasgullas will become hard and shrink.
Sometimes wrong size of utensil and temperature of cooking are also responsible for the Rasgullas to shrink.
Flavouring Rasgulla
There are many ways to flavour the rasgulla. I like it plain or with some saffron. You can add a few strands of saffron to the sugar syrup while making rasgullas. The saffron will also add a nice yellow tinge to the rasgulla. However, if you want plain white, skip saffron.
How to avoid shrinking of Rasgullas after cooking:
Adding cooked rasgullas immediately to ice cold water avoids shrinking and retains the size.
Difficulty level of preparing Rasgulla
Though it sounds very easy but the difficulty level of preparing Rasgulla is high. It may be difficult but not impossible to prepare perfect Rasgullas on the first attempt. But surprisingly when you learn to prepare, it’s one of the easiest dessert to prepare.
Can we make Rasgulla in a Pressure Cooker
Yes!! I remember I made Rasgullas for the first time in a cooker. I love the cooker method too, it is quick and easy to make. Another thing I found that the cooker method always gives the best spongy rasgullas.
People get worried that in a pressure cooker it might spread or break. But as said if method is followed properly, making rasgulla in a cooker is a fail-proof recipe. I have been making it in the cooker for more than 7-8 years now and it always works for me.
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 about a week.
EASY SPONGE RASGULLA RECIPE | HOW TO MAKE CHENA RASGULLA | ROSOGOLLA
Ingredients
- 1 Litre whole milk
- 2 to 3 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Corn Starch
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 5 cups Water
- 1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder
Instructions
- Heat milk in a heavy bottom pan.
- Once the milk comes to a boil, turn off the flame and cool down the temperature a bit.
- Add lemon juice till the milk curdles.
- Drain the curdled milk using a muslin cloth. You are now left with "chena" or "paneer".
- Squeeze the muslin cloth to remove all the water from the chena. Hang it for about an hour or two to drain excess water.
- Take the chena in a plate and. mash the chena with the heel of your palm for 5 minutes to make it soft and smooth. This is an important step to make sure that the rasgullas are soft.
- To this add cornflour and mix well and mash for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Now, make small balls from the.
- Meanwhile in a pan mix the sugar and water and let it boil at high temperature.
- Put the rasgulla balls in the boiling sugar syrup.
- Cook the rasgullas in sugar syrup for 18-20 minutes on high heat.
- Now drop cooked Rasgullas into ice-cold water immediately to prevent shrinking in size. Completely cool down.
- In a serving bowl, take some of the sugar syrup. Squeeze out the rasgullas from cold water and add them to the sugar syrup & soak.
- Refrigerate the rasgullas with the syrup and serve chilled or at room temperature.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Use a wide pan for making the rasgullas.
- Squeeze out all the water from the chena before you start mashing it.
- Never prepare Chenna in advance to save time.
- Mash the chena with the heel of your palm for at least 5 to 8 minutes to get soft dough.
- Drop the rasgullas in the sugar syrup once it’s completely boiling at high heat.
- The heat has to be high throughout the entire time when the rasgullas are cooking.
- To check if the rasgullas are cooked, drop them in fresh water. They will sink if done completely.
- Transfer cooked rasgullas to ice cold water immediately to avoid shrinking.
Check out other similar categories from blog:
Below are some popular Milk Sweets from Blog:
And many more to come!!…..Stay Tuned!!
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Cheers!!
Padma.
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