Cheena Rasgulla | Bengali Sponge
Cheena Rasgulla, also known as Bengali Sponge Rasgulla, is a classic Bengali dessert made from fresh chenna (curdled milk solids) shaped into soft, spongy balls and cooked in a light sugar syrup. Known for its airy texture and delicate sweetness, this iconic sweet is a celebration staple across India. The rasgullas absorb the syrup as they simmer, resulting in a melt-in-the-mouth treat that’s both refreshing and satisfying. Best enjoyed chilled, it embodies the essence of traditional Bengali confectionery.
Ingredients
For Dough
- (full cream) – 2lt Milk
- 6 tbsp Vinegar
For Syrup
- 4 cups Sugar
- 2 cups Water
- 2 tsp Flour (Maida)
- Water (room temp) – 2lt
- a dash Water
- 2 tbsp Rose water
- Fresh rose petals – handful
Instructions
- Mix sugar and water together and bring to a boil. Remove scum and remove half of the syrup in a bowl and keep the rest on simmer.
- Heat milk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add vinegar. Do not stir but merely using a ladle try and gently move the milk solids together. If you boil the milk at this stage or vigorously mix it then the chenna you get has dana in it. We need the chenna to be just like the consistency of ricotta or mozzarella. Once milk curdles completely add tap water and then strain it. Squeeze completely to remove the water.
- Spread out the chenna on the counter and gently rub it to remove and grain in it. Do not over rub as this will cause the chenna to leave oil.Divide into equal balls of 15 grams each. Add them in boiling sugar syrup. Remember at this stage the syrup has to be light with no string consistency. Mix flour and water and add it to the centre of the boiling syrup. This will cause bubbling of the syrup which in turn makes sure that rasgullas cook evenly. Keep the heat on high at all times. If you see syrup getting thick, then simply add a dash of water to it.
- Cook them till you see a light Jali on top of them. Remove and add to the warm sugar syrup that we had kept aside early on. Let them sit there and once they cool off refrigerate them.Add rose water and fresh petals of rose and serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 106kcalCarbohydrates: 14.8gProtein: 2.4gFat: 3.3gCholesterol: 5mg
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