Spongy Bengali Chhena Rasgulla
Soft, light-as-air cottage cheese balls simmered in clear cardamom sugar syrup.
"Always use fresh full-cream COW milk! Buffalo milk has high fat content that makes chhena tough instead of soft spongy rasgulla."
🛒Ingredients
- ▪1 litre Fresh Cow Milk
- ▪2 tbsp Lemon Juice or Vinegar (diluted with 2 tbsp water)
- ▪1.5 cups Sugar + 4 cups Water (for light syrup)
- ▪3 Green Cardamom pods, crushed
- ▪1 tsp Rose Water
👨🍳Step-by-Step Instructions
Bring cow milk to boil, turn off heat, rest 2 mins. Pour diluted lemon juice stirring gently until clear greenish whey separates. Drain in cheesecloth, rinse with cold water, squeeze out excess water. Hang for 30 mins.
Knead chhena with palm heel for 6-8 mins until smooth and non-greasy. Roll into small smooth balls without any surface cracks.
In a wide pan, boil sugar and 4 cups water with cardamoms. Drop chhena balls into boiling syrup, cover tight with lid, and cook on high heat for 15 minutes.
Check if rasgullas float and double in size. Drop one into cold water — if it sinks, it is fully cooked! Cool down and soak in syrup.
🔥Pro Execution Notes
- Do not over-squeeze chhena; retaining 15% moisture is required so balls remain spongy rather than rubbery.
- Keep the pan covered tight during boiling — trapped steam pressure makes rasgullas expand into light sponges.