During the holiday season or any other joyful occasion, one often wants to treat themselves to something sweet, and rasgulla invariably takes the top spot. However, there is a concern about additives or excess chemicals in store-bought packaged rasgullas, which can negatively affect health.
If you want your family to have absolutely pure, fluffy, and melt-in-your-mouth rasgullas for the celebration, it is best to make them yourself from fresh milk instead of buying ready-made ones. Just 2 liters of milk and some caution will allow you to create rasgullas as magnificent as those made by a professional pastry chef. Below is the simplest instruction and secret tips for preparation.
The following ingredients are needed for preparation: 2 liters of whole milk (for the cheese), 3-4 tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar (diluted in water), 3-4 cups of sugar (for the syrup), 4-5 cups of water (for the syrup and washing the cheese), and cardamom powder or kewra water for aroma.
The main secret to obtaining fluffy rasgullas lies in the cheese processing technique: it must be kneaded thoroughly. The cheese should be kneaded with the palm of your hand on the back side for at least 7-8 minutes until it becomes perfectly smooth and soft, like butter.
It is also important to maintain the syrup temperature: rasgullas should always be dropped into boiling syrup so that they immediately increase in size. At the same time, the syrup should be slightly liquid, not thick like a thread.
First, bring 2 liters of milk to a boil in a thick-bottomed pot. After boiling, turn off the heat and let the milk cool for 2-3 minutes. Then, gradually add the water mixed with lemon juice to the milk. As soon as the milk curdles and a greenish liquid appears, turn off the gas.
The curdled milk product must be strained through cheesecloth or cotton fabric. After this, the cheese should be thoroughly washed with cold clean water to remove the acidity from the lemon. Then, hanging the cloth, squeeze out the excess moisture, but it is important that the cheese remains slightly moist, not completely dry. The raw material is placed on a plate and kneaded with the palms for 7-8 minutes until smooth.
Small, smooth balls without cracks are formed from the cheese dough. Separately, 3-4 cups of sugar are heated with 4-5 cups of water in a wide pot until active boiling. When the syrup boils vigorously, the prepared balls are dropped into it one by one. The pot is covered with a lid and cooked over medium or medium-high heat for 12-15 minutes, stirring gently from time to time. As a result, the rasgullas will increase in volume and become very fluffy. After this, the heat is turned off and the rasgullas are allowed to cool completely; after cooling, they are ready to eat.