Recipe of the day: Rasgulla

Rasgulla is a popular sweet of Bengal and Orissa. This sweet is used in almost every occasion of Bengal and Orrissa. Literally the word Rasogolla comprises of two words, Ras=sugar syrup and Golla=small balls; and Rasogolla is made with cottage cheese balls, immersed in dense sugar syrup. Rasogolla are extremely sweet and also my one of favorite sweets.

Ingredients:

• Full cream milk: -                                1 liter
• Refined flour (maida) -                       2 tsp
• Lemon juice:                                       1 tbsp
         Or,
     Calcium Lactate Powder:                 1 teasp.
• Sugar-                                               2 cup
• Water-                                              2 cup

Method:

 Step I:

1. Heat 1-liter milk in a pan. Once it starts to boil, pour in the lime juice or Calcium Lactate Powder and stir gently. The milk will curdle and clear whey will separate.
2. Strain the chana or cottage paneer in a muslin cloth. Wash under cold running water to get rid of the lemony smell and then hang it for ½ an hour.
   On straining this milk through a neat cotton cloth, the curd that is obtained is called "chenna". 

 Step II:

1.  Knead chenna to make smooth dough. Add flour and knead again.
2. Make small balls of equal size of the dough and keep aside.
3. Now make sugar syrup.
4. Mix sugar and water in a saucepan and boil for 2 min.
   
5. Add chenna balls to the syrup and cook for 15 minutes with lid partially covered.
6. Chenna dumplings will puff up.
7. You can add rose essence or cardamom powder for flavor.
8. Refrigerate and serve chilled.

*You can eat it hot; it is delicious and very good for curing all kinds of dysentery.

Tips of the day

1. Avoid cooking sour dishes (like tamarind based dishes) in a non-stick pan; because, the sourness will remove coating faster.
2. When you cook in a handi, place a tawa (griddle) underneath to avoid dishes from burning.