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Sweet, spongy rasgulla recipe
Rasgulla is a popular Bengali sweet made of milk and sugar, often found as part of the desserts spread at Diwali. They are easier to make than they may seem. Find out how to make these soft, spongy cheese balls with our step by step recipe below.
1. Bring the milk to the boil then take off the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and mix until the liquid begins to curdle.
2. Pour into a colander lined with a muslin cloth and rinse well with cold water to remove the citric acid. Squeeze well, using the cloth, and then drain in the sieve for around 20 minutes, weighing down with a saucepan, for example, to squeeze the liquid out.
3. Give the curds one last squeeze then transfer to a bowl. Add the cornflour and knead for around 10 minutes until the texture turns from grainy to smooth. This should take from 3 to 5 minutes depending on the chenna.
4. Shape the chenna into 12 small, smooth balls . Cover and set aside.
5. Boil the sugar with the cardamom and water in a pressure cooker without the lid on. When the sugar is dissolved completely and the water reaches a boil, remove the cardamom pods.
6. With the heat on medium-high so that the water is constantly on a boil, add the balls to the syrup. Cover with the lid and cook for around 5 minutes.
7. Remove from the heat and allow the steam to evaporate, with the lid on. The rasgullas would have puffed and doubled in size, but will shrink back as they cool slightly in the pot.
8. Tip into a bowl. Leave to cool and then chill in the refrigerator before serving. 9. Serve cool with some syrup.