SYRUP SWEETS - RASGULLAS
Ginger Syrup
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Coriander seeds 1 tsp
Water - 1 cup
Honey - 1 tsp
Lime - few drops
Smash the ginger and add it to a cup of water. Powder the coriander seeds and add it to the mix. Allow it to boil. After it boils, filter and add honey. Add a few drops of squeezed lime. Use as a syrup base for milk sweets.
Jaffrey’s Rasmalai
2 quarts milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
5 whole cardamom pods
1 teaspoon fine grained semolina
3 to 4 drops rose essence
1 quart half and half
1/8 teaspoon cardamom seeds
1 tablespoon shelled, unsalted pistachios
Make the chenna with the milk and lemon juice in the usual way. Hang up the milk curds for 2 hours instead of 1/2 hour. Knead thoroughly. Make a ball and set it aside. Put the 3 cups of sugar, 6 cups of water, and the cardamom pods in a deep skillet or saute pan. Bring to a fast simmer over a medium flame. Once the sugar has dissolved completely, turn the heat to low and let the syrup simmer gently for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat. Flatten the ball of chenna and add the semolina as well as the rose essence to it. Knead for 5 minutes, making sure the semolina and rose essence are well mixed in. Now make 20 crack-free balls, rolling each with just a little pressure between the palms of your two hands.
Bring the syrup to a simmer over a medium flame. Drop the balls into the syrup. Bring to a simmer again. Adjust the heat so the syrup simmers gently for 5 minutes. During this period, move the balls around and turn them over occasionally, using a very gentle touch. Make sure you do not damage the balls. Turn the heat up and bring the syrup to what might be described as a furious simmer. The syrup should look like a mass of tiny moving bubbles, but it should never boil over. Sprinkle the balls with 2 tablespoons of water, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. During this period, the balls should swell up. Uncover, sprinkle the balls with another 2 tablespoons of water, cover and cook, simmering furiously for another 10 minutes. Turn off the heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the balls to an empty bowl. (The syrup can now be discarded.) Pour the half and half over the balls and let them soak in it for 3 hours. Take the balls gently out of the half and half with a slotted spoon and put them in another bowl. Pour the half and half into a skillet or saucepan and boil it down until you have about 2 cups left. Turn off the heat. Crush the cardamom seeds finely in a mortar and mince the pistachios. Add the crushed cardamom, the minced pistachios, and one tablespoon of sugar to the reduced half and half. Pour this half and half over the chhena balls. Allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Offer cold, with the creamy sauce.
Rasagulla
Milk 1 gallon
Lemon Juice 1 cup
Sugar 1 cup
Make paneer in the usual way. Leave curd in the colander until cold and dry. This will take at least an hour (you can leave it overnight). Place curd in food processor and process for one minute. It should be soft but not sticky. Form small balls from the curd. Bring one cup sugar and 3 cups water to a boil in a pressure cooker. Place rasgoolas in syrup. Turn off the heat and place the cover on the pressure cooker. Turn heat on high. When cooker begins to whistle wait for a couple of minutes, then turn it off. When pressure cooker depressurizes, remove cover and repeat previous step with the rest of the rasgoolas. Do not use the same sugar syrup more than once. If boiling rasgoolas in a regular pot, keep lid on tightly to trap steam, and boil on medium high for 20 to 25 minutes.
Rassogolla
1-1/2 cups Paneer
¾ cup Ricotta cheese
1-3/4 cups Sugar
1-1/4 cups Water
For Paneer:
3.5 litres milk
1 cup warm water
5 Tbsp lemon juice
Make paneer in the usual way. Rub the paneer and ricotta cheese with heel of your hand until smooth and creamy. Divide into 16 balls. Boil the sugar and water for 5 minutes over medium heat. Put the balls into the syrup and boil for 40 minutes. Cover and continue to boil for another 30 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
