Naan Roti (Naan Bread)

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Naan Roti (Naan Bread)

Naan is one of India’s many famous foods after tikka masala and samosa. It is a tear drop shaped, oven-baked (called tandoor in India) flat bread made with all-purpose flour (maida). It is also known as naan bread and is served with curries or kebabs. Making naan at home is not as tough as it looks. You do not need the tandoor. You can make it in oven or even on a thick griddle. Most of the ingredients are easily available and you can even add the topping of your choice to make it more flavorful.

Just make sure to rest the dough for enough time and cover it well while resting. Some people use eggs for a softer naan but I don’t see any major difference in the softness with or without egg if you use milk to make the dough. You can experiment with the shape and toppings. You can add nigella seeds (kalonji), sesame seeds, kasuri methi, garlic, olives, or fresh herbs like coriander and mint.

As with other recipes on this blog, this is my family recipe of naan. There are different ways of making the dough and cooking the naan. You can make it in an oven, use any thick bottomed utensils like kadhai or cooker, or a clay griddle. My mom makes naan on the griddle used to make rotis at home and she even cooks the naan like she cooks the rotis. Naan can be served with tikkas, kebabs, dal, and curries. It is best eaten hot.

Naan Roti (Naan Bread)

Ingredients

Makes 6-7

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (maida)
  • ½ cup milk
  • ¼ cup curd
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 3 pinches soda (appx half of 1/4th tsp)
  • 1 ½ tbsp. oil
  • Little water

Recipe

Take flour in a wide big dish. Make a well in the centre and add salt, sugar, soda, curd, oil, and milk. Make a soft pliable dough using little water at a time. Keep it aside covered with a wet cloth for one hour. Knead it again for few mins (3-4) and divide into 6 rolls.

Take one roll at a time and roll it into a 6-7 inch disc on a lightly floured surface. At this stage you can add the seasoning you prefer. Roll it once or twice for the seasoning to stick to the dough.

Cook it in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees until it is crisp and light brown. Brush liberally with butter/ghee.

If you do not have an oven you can cook it on a griddle too just like you would cook roti. Brush it liberally with butter/ghee and serve hot.

Panipuri

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Panipuri

Panipuri for me is the best food on earth. It is a Crisp semolina puri filled with green chana and sour and spicy water. It is a very popular chat (type of snacks in India) in India and you can find it in any region you go. Every state has its own version of panipuri. It’s Golgappa in Delhi, Puchka in Calcutta and Gupchup in Hyderabad. I have eaten panipuri at various places but Gupchup wins it hands down for me. Not that I don’t like golgappa or puchka, but nothing can match the hot chana and cold water filled gupchup you get in Hyderabad.

Making the puri for panipuri at home can get little tricky. You need to roll out the dough thin and keep in moist always. But if you are living outside India and don’t get the puris readily available, it is worth the effort.

To make the puris fluffy, press the puri with back of a slotted spoon till it puffs up. Make sure the oil is hot and you fry them on a medium flame. You can even make flavoured puri by adding ¼ tsp of your choice of dried herbs.

Coming back to gupchup, the hot green peas filling is what sets it apart from other versions of panipuri. It is a very simple filling of boiled green peas cooked in very basic tempering. There are other fillings too like potato and Bengal gram (kala chana), sprouts, boondi, onions etc. If you like your panipuri sweet apart from the sour and spicy taste, you can add little sweet tamarind chutney along with the filling.

Panipuri is a comfort food for me and my sister. We can eat it anytime of the day. There are lot of famous street side vendors in Hyderabad where you can try this chat. If you are health conscious and don’t have a very strong immune system to eat roadside food, try this homemade panipuri.

Panipuri

Ingredients

For Puri (makes 25 puris)

  • ¼ cup maida
  • ¼ cup semolina
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil for frying

For Water

  • ½ cup tightly packed mint
  • ¼ cup loosely packed fresh coriander
  • 2 green chillies
  • 2 tsp black salt
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 cups tamarind water
  • 2 cups water

For Filling

  • ¼ cup dried peas soaked for 6-7 hours
  • 1tsp oil
  • ¼ tsp cumin seeds
  • 2-3 pinches turmeric
  • Salt to taste

Filling 2

  • 2 potatoes
  • ¼ cup Bengal gram (black chana) soaked for 6-7 hours
  • ½ tsp chopped coriander
  • ½ tsp green chilli paste
  • Salt to taste

Recipe

For Puri

Combine the ingredients for puri with little water and make a firm dough. Cover with a damp cloth and keep it aside for 20 minutes. After twenty minutes, knead the dough again and divide into two rolls. Roll out each portion into thin circle and cut small (approximately 1 ½ to 2 inches) round puris using a cookie cutter or a sharp round cap.

Heat enough oil to fry the puris and fry few puris at a time, till they are crispy and brown on both sides.

Store the puris in airtight container.

For Water

Grind mint, coriander, and green chilli to a smooth paste. In a jug or vessel, combine this paste with all the other ingredients for water and mix well. Taste for salt at this time and adjust salt as per taste. Chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours.

For Filling 1

Pressure cook the soaked peas with salt for 3-4 whistles or till the peas are very soft and mushy. Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds. Once the seeds pop, add the cooked peas and turmeric. Check for salt and cook for 2-3 minutes.

For Filling 2

Pressure cook the potatoes with little salt for 3 whistles or till soft and mushy. Peel and keep them aside.

Pressure cook the Bengal gram (black chana) with salt for 4-5 whistles or till they are soft. Mix together, the potatoes, chana, and green chilli paste. Check for salt and add more if required. Keep the filling aside.

For serving

Punch/crack a hole in the puri. Add the filling of your choice (appx 1 tsp in a puri). Fill it with the prepared water and eat it right away.

Pongal (South Indian Khichdi)

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Pongal (South Indian Khichdi)

Pongal or Kara pongal (as known in Bangalore) is the south Indian version of Khichdi (a dish prepared with rice and lentils). This is a popular breakfast dish in south India and you can find it at any tiffin center. At my place, this is a quick recipe which my aunt makes when we crib about lunch or when we are hungry at odd times like 4-5 pm. This is her recipe of Pongal. Dal and rice are pressure cooked and a tempering of cashewnuts, black pepper, curry leaves, and cumin seeds in ghee is added to complete this yummy and quick breakfast.

Pongal and Vada served at the Tirupati Tirumala temple is the best Pongal I have ever eaten. Long time ago, when the Tirumala temple was not so commercial, common man could taste this pongal. You can still try your luck if you visit the temple for morning prayers. The most important thing to keep in mind for this recipe is to do the tempering (tadka) in ghee ONLY. That is what gives it the wonderful flavour. Remember to eat this hot and fresh. This can be served with coconut chutney and sambhar.

Pongal (South Indian Khichdi)

Ingredients

Serves  4

For Pongal

  • 3/4th cup rice
  • 1/4th cup moong dal
  • ½ inch piece of ginger grated (optional)
  • 4 cups water
  • Salt to taste

For Tempering

  • 3 tbsp ghee
  • 1 tbsp peppercorns
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 12-15 curry leaves
  • ¼ tsp asafoetida
  • 10-12 cashewnuts

Recipe

Combine the ingredients for pongal and pressure cook for 4 whistles on low flame. Once the pressure is released, open the cooker and mash the pongal with back of a spoon.

Heat ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds. Once the seeds pop, add curry leaves and asafoetida. Add peppercorns and cashew nuts and sauté till the cashews are lightly browned.

Pour this tempering on the pongal and mix well. Serve hot with coconut chutney.

 

Karela Masala (Bitter Gourd Curry)

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Karela Masala (Bitter Gourd Curry)

I am not celebrating the most hated vegetables week. My mom in law is visiting us and I am just trying to make the most of it. I am trying to learn from her the best recipes she makes. Next few weeks you might see lot of gujju stuff on Vegetarian Khana and if you want to see any gujju dish on Vegetarian Khana, do share it with me so that I can ask her to teach me that. It is Karela (Bitter gourd) masala this weekend. People either love Karela or they absolutely hate it. I don’t love it but I love the Karela fry that my mom makes, or the masala Karela that my mom in law and my aunt make. Karela is very bitter, but is eaten a lot in India because of its medicinal value.

To reduce the bitterness of Karela, peel the Karela, cut it into small pieces and discard the seeds. Sprinkle little salt on peeled and chopped Karela and leave it aside for 20-30 minutes. When ready to cook the Karela, wash it under running water and squeeze the Karela to reduce the bitterness.

Remember my mom in law’s signature mixed veg curry recipe? Well, this one uses the same masala. If you have the masala ready, this is a very quick recipe. You can check the recipe for masala here. Adding a little jaggery, adds flavor and helps to reduce the bitterness of Karela.

Make sure to take the curry off from flames as soon as you finish mixing the masala. Cooking it for a long time will make the besan in the masala stick to the pan. This curry tastes good with bajri roti or whole wheat rotis. You can serve this with fresh/pickled onions and the non spicy chillies.

Karela Masala (Bitter Gourd Curry)

Ingredients

Serves 2

  • 1 cup chopped Karela (bitter gourd)
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • ¼ tsp mustard seeds
  • ¼ tsp chilli powder
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • ¼ tsp coriander powder (optional)
  • 4 tbsp mixed vegetable sabji masala
  • 1 tsp jaggery
  • Salt to taste (Remember the masala and the karela already have salt so taste the curry and add salt only if required)

Recipe

Peel the Karela. Remove seeds and chop into small pieces. Sprinkle approximately 1 tsp salt and keep it aside for 25-30 minutes. Squeeze the Karela and throw the water. Wash them in running water and squeeze again.

Pressure cook the Karela with 1 cup water and little salt for three whistles. Once the pressure is released, strain the Karela and discard the water.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a thick bottomed pan. Add mustard seeds. Once the seeds splutter, add onions, little salt, and turmeric powder. Sauté and cook for 1-2 minutes till the onions start getting brown. Add Karela, chilli powder, and jaggery. Mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the sabji masala and mix well. Cook for 40-50 seconds and take off from the gas. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with hot roti.

Baigan ka Bharta (Ringna no Orro)

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Baigan ka Bharta (Ringna no Orro)

Ringna no Orro or Baigan ka bharta gujju style. This is my mom in law’s world famous recipe. Everyone who has eaten this version of the bharta is a fan of her cooking. This is a very common recipe in Gujarat and people relish this with hot rotla (bajra ki roti). This is an almost no cook dish.

All you need is a big and beautiful looking Brinjal/Aubergine/Eggplant. Only cooking you will need for this dish is roasting the Brinjal on open flame. You can also grill it if you like.

Though Brinjal tops the list of vegetables I hate, I loved the smell of this one. Finely chopped onions and green chillies mixed with freshly roasted Brinjals never smelled so good to me. This cooks pretty fast and packs in lots of nutrition with very less fat.

My in laws and most of the bharta lovers enjoy this one with hot bajra roti (called Rotlo in gujarati), garlic chutney, and pieces of Jaggery. You can try this with normal whole wheat rotis too.

Baigan ka Bharta (Ringna no Orro)

Ingredients

Serves 2

  • 1 big Brinjal (Aubergine/Eggplant, Baigan, Ringana)
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 1 green chilli finely chopped
  • 2 tbp fresh coriander finely chopped
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tbsp + ¼ tsp oil
  • Salt to taste

Recipe

Brush the aubergine with ¼ tsp oil and make a vertical slit. Roast on cooktop, or grill in oven grill or barbeque grill. Keep turning it periodically till the Brinjal is charred on all side. Let it cool completely and then peel off and discard the charred skin and the green top. Chop the Brinjal as finely as possible. You can even mash it if you prefer.

In a bowl, combine the chopped Brinjal with rest of the ingredients and mix well. Serve with hot Bajra roti, Garlic chutney and some pieces of Jaggery.

Dal Dhokli (Fresh whole Wheat Pasta in Lentils Gravy)

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Dal Dhokli (Fresh whole Wheat Pasta in Lentils Gravy)

Dal dhokli for me is the Indian version of ravioli pasta. This is just spicier and healthier. For those who haven’t heard of it, it is fresh homemade whole wheat pasta in lentils gravy. You want a simpler explanation? In my mom’s words, it is a perfect dish to finish off the leftover dal at home. This one pot meal is a gujju dish but it is a common menu item at my place. This is my family recipe of dal dhokli so it is slightly different from the traditional Gujarati dal dhokli. My mom makes it without the sugar.

Boiled toor dal (split pigeon peas/arhar dal) is tempered with spices and dhoklis made with whole wheat flour and gram flour (besan) are added to create this one dish meal. The thing you need to take care of while making this dish is to add the dhoklis when the dal boils, or else they will stick and get lumpy. You can shape the dhoklis as you like. Diamond shape is the most common one.

You can make the dhoklis in advance and freeze them to use them next time you have a leftover dal or when you want a quick meal. Though this is a one dish meal, some families make rice with this dish. It is a perfect meal for a cold winter evening. Serve the dal dhokli with fresh cut onions and a piece of lime.

Dal Dhokli (Fresh whole Wheat Pasta in Lentils Gravy)

Ingredients

Serves 4

For Dal

  • 1 cup toor dal (split pigeon pea lentils) washed and soaked
  • 2 tbsp ghee
  • ¼ tsp cumin seeds
  • 10-12 curry leaves
  • 5-6 cloves
  • 1 piece cinnamon
  • 8-10 fenugreek seeds
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 dry red chillies broken
  • 1 green chilli slit
  • 2 inch piece of ginger
  • ¼ tsp asafoetida (heeng)
  • 1 tsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
  • ¼ tsp garam masala
  • salt to taste

For Dhokli

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 tbsp gram flour (besan)
  • ½ tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Salt to taste

Recipe

For the Dhoklis

Combine all the ingredients for dhokli and make a stiff/firm dough using enough water. Cover and keep it aside for 15 minutes (you can prepare the dal in these 15 minutes). Knead the dough again after 15 minutes and divide it into five equal rolls. Roll out each portion into a 7-8 inch circle. Do not roll the dhokli very thin. You can look at the image above for approximate thickness of the dhokli. Cut the rolled circle into small diamond shapes using a knife or a cutter.

For the Dal

Pressure cook the dal with little salt in 1 ½ cup of water. Once the pressure is released, open the cooker and blend the dal the dal till it is smooth. Add 3 ½ cups of water, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala, and salt. Bring to boil. Heat 2tbsp ghee in a separate pan. Add cumin seeds, curry leaves, ginger, green chilli, cloves, cinnamon, fenugreek seeds (methi dana), bay leaves, dry red chillies, and asafoetida. Sauté on a low flame for 1 minute. Add this tadka to the boiling dal and mix well.

Just before serving, bring the dal to boil. Once the dal boils, add the dhokli pieces one by one and stir gently. Cook on low flame for 8-9 minutes stirring occasionally. Add more water if the dal thickens while boiling. Add the lime juice and chopped coriander.

Serve hot with fresh cut onions and a wedge of lime and You can also add a spoonful of ghee (optional).

Onion Curry (Pyaaz ki Sabji)

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Onion Curry (Pyaaz ki Sabji)

Statutory Warning: If you live in India and buy onion with your yearly bonus these days, wait for the prices to come down before you try this curry.

Once upon a time onions were banned in my grandmother’s kitchen. They slowly made a guest appearance when my mom took over the kitchen. It was a once in a while affair then. Weekend snacks, or special occasions or whenever my aunt visited us from Solapur. As with any other thing that you are not supposed to eat or which is not cooked regularly, onion too was my favorite especially the pyaaz ki pakodi (onion fritters). Things slowly changed, and onion is a permanent resident in our kitchen now. Though used sparingly, the ban is not there anymore.

One of my aunts lives in Solapur. Whenever she used to visit us during vacations, it would be a treat for us as she would prepare all the new recipes she learnt at her in laws place. Most of the dishes she prepared included onions. One such curry was this quick and easy onion curry. Only thing she insisted always (and still does) is to have the hara masala (fresh coriander, curry leaves, ginger and green chillies) for cooking. These fresh ingredients add that special flavor to the curry.

This curry makes a perfect yummy meal for the times when you don’t want to spend lot of time in kitchen and still want yummy food. The coarsely ground groundnuts add crunch to the curry. This curry, tastes best with hot rice. You can eat it with roti too.

Onion Curry (Pyaaz ki Sabji)

Ingredients

Serves 2-3

  • 3 onions chopped (preferably juliennes)
  • 3 tbsp oil
  • ¼ tsp cumin seeds (Jeera)
  • ¼ tsp mustard seeds (rai)
  • 8-10 curry leaves
  • 2 green chillies slit
  • 2 inch piece of ginger grated
  • ¼ tsp asafoetida (heeng)
  • 2 tsp red chilli powder
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
  • 2 tsp coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
  • ¼ tsp garam masala
  • 3 tbsp groundnuts roasted and coarsely ground
  • 1 ½ tsp lime juice
  • 2 tbsp fresh coriander (chopped)
  • ¼ cup water
  • Salt to taste

Recipe

Heat oil in a kadhai or a thick bottomed pan. Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Once the seeds splutter, add grated ginger, green chillies, and curry leaves. Tear and crush the curry leaves a little to get more flavor.

Add half of the chopped coriander and sauté. Add chopped onions and salt. Mix well and cook for 2-3 mins or till the onions are translucent. Add, turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder, asafoetida, groundnuts, and garam masala. Add little water (approximately 1/4th cup) and mix well. Cook on low flame for 5-6 minutes.

Add lime juice and chopped coriander. Mix well and serve with hot rice.

Masala Dosa (Indian Savory Pancakes)

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Masala Dosa (Indian Savory Pancakes)

My mom has been making dosa every alternate Sunday for more than 30 years now. Idli and Dosa are fixed weekend breakfast at my place. In Hyderabad, you can find lot of roadside stalls selling a variety of dosas. Right from zero oil steamed dosa to the butter laden variety dosas, you can practically eat dosa 24×7 in Hyderabad. This Indian pancake is made of various lentils soaked, ground and fermented overnight. The batter is then spread thinly like a pancake on a hot griddle and eaten with coconut chutney and potato curry.

Though I love the yummy (read full of butter) dosa sold on the roadsides, here is the healthier version. This is my family recipe of dosa. At our place, dosa is served the traditional way, with a very simple potato and onions curry and coconut chutney.

Dosa is one of the most versatile Indian breakfast which can be filled with anything you like. Paneer bhurji, vegetables, chocolate, cheese, pav bhaji the list is endless. It is best eaten hot and you can keep the batter in the freezer and reuse it later. If you have the batter ready, it is pretty quick to make.

Masala Dosa (Indian Savory Pancakes)

Ingredients

Serves 4

Dosa Batter

  • 1 cup + 1/4th cup rice
  • 2/3rd  cup urad dal
  • 2/3rd  cup chana dal
  • 1/4th cup sago (sabutdana)
  • 8-10 fenugreek seeds
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • Oil, ghee, or butter as required to cook the dosa

Potato Curry

  • 4 potatoes
  • 2 onions chopped
  • 8-10 curry leaves
  • 2 inch piece of ginger grated
  • 3 green chillies slit
  • ¼ tsp mustard seeds
  • ¼ tsp cumin seeds
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • 2 dry red chillies broken
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
  • Salt to taste

Chutney

  • ½ cup bengal gram (futana dal or chana)
  • ¼ cup grated coconut
  • 2 green chillies
  • Salt to taste

For Dosa batter

Wash rice, urad dal, chana dal, and sago 3 -4 times. Soak them in enough water with fenugreek seeds for 4-5 hours. Drain and grind the ingredients to a smooth batter using as little water as possible. The batter should not be runny. Add salt and sugar and mix well. Keep the batter in a large vessel and cover it and store it in a warm place overnight or 8-9 hours to ferment. Once the batter is fermented, mix it well and add little water if the batter is too thick.

For Curry

Pressure cook the potatoes with little salt for 3 whistles or till they are very soft. Peel and cube the potatoes.

Heat oil in a kadhai (wok). Add mustard and cumin seeds. Once the seeds splutter, add ginger, curry leaves, and the dry red chillies. Add onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Add potatoes, salt, turmeric, and chopped coriander and mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

For Chutney

Grind all the ingredients to a smooth paste adding little water.

For Dosa

Heat a thick and flat griddle (tava). Put a ladle full of dosa batter on it and spread it thinly like a pancake. Pour oil/ghee/butter around the dosa and let it cook till it becomes crispy on edges. You can use a non-stick pan if you want oil free dosas.

You can put the potato curry in the center, roll it and serve with chutney. Or just roll the dosa and serve with potato curry and chutney.

Tips

If you want to add any other filling, spread it on the dosa once you spread the batter on tava.

If the dosa is not coming out of the tava, spray some oil and clean the tava with a tissue.

Oats Frittata (Oats Uttapam)

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Oats Frittata (Oats Uttapam)

This is my version of vegetarian frittata and I can bet this is one of the healthiest breakfast options. You can call it oats uttapam if you like. I like oats for breakfast but I don’t like the sweeter version. It is very quick to make and you can add different vegetables and play with the flavors. I have added the veggies I like. You can also add sun-dried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, and grated carrots, fresh herbs like parsley or coriander.

The batter needs to be thicker like uttapam batter. Oats will absorb water when you keep the batter for long time. You can check the consistency before making the frittata and add little water. Make sure the tava(griddle) is not too hot or the frittata will break.

This frittata is not only very healthy but also keeps you full for long time.  You can eat it with ketchup if you like. Another good option is to add some Parmesan cheese to the batter if you want a cheese frittata. If you try this out and like it, do share the feedback/pics. Happy eating!

Oats Frittata (Oats Uttapam)

Ingredients

Makes 2

  • ¼ cup oats (I use Quaker’s quick cooking rolled oats)
  • ¼ cup semolina
  • ¼ cup mixed vegetables chopped (red, yellow and green capsicum, onion, broccoli)
  • 1 tbsp rice flour
  • ¼ tsp oregano
  • ¼ tsp pepper powder
  • 4-5 olives chopped
  • 1-2 pinches chilli flakes
  • Salt to taste
  • 8-10 fresh basil leaves chopped
  • 1 pinch soda
  • 1 tbsp fresh yogurt
  • ½ cup water

Recipe

Grind the oats and semolina to a coarse powder. Add yogurt, ½ cup water, salt, and rice flour. Mix well and keep it aside for 10-15 mins. Add rest of the ingredients and mix well. If the batter is too thick add little water.

Heat a thick tava (griddle) pour half of the batter and spread like a pancake/uttapam. Spray or drizzle some olive oil around and on top of the frittata.

Let it cook for 1-2 mins till it is brown and crispy. Flip and cook the other side for 1 minute.

Serve hot.

Rasgulla

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The pioneer of cookery shows and cook books in India, Tarla Dalal passed away on Wednesday, 7-Nov-13. She was truly the first master chef of India and has inspired generations of cooking enthusiasts. Be it traditional Indian food, healthy cooking, cooking for kids, or different types of cooking, list of her expertise is endless. She taught people to cook healthy and cook well. Whenever I am stuck or confused while making a traditional mithai, her recipes work like an encyclopedia. I am sharing her recipe and hope her recipes keep spreading the cheer and happiness that she always did. RIP Tarla Dalal.

After trying 4-5 different recipes and methods, it was this recipe of Tarla Dalal, which helped me make perfect rasgullas in a flash. Yes! The cooking time is not more than 12-15 minutes. This is the easiest and simplest recipe of rasgulla I have seen so far.

Rasgulla

Though there are only four ingredients you need to follow every step as mentioned to get the perfect rasgullas. Here are few tips before the recipe:

  • If possible, use half quantity cow’s milk and half quantity buffalo’s milk.
  • Quantity of lime juice required to curdle the milk depends on the quality of milk.
  • Adding excess lime juice will make the rasgulla lemon flavoured.
  • Do not touch the rasgullas once you place them on the plate.
  • Make sure the cooker has enough space for rasgullas to expand. They will double in size. If there is no space rasgullas will break.
  • Always cook rasgullas on high flame.

Soft and fresh chenna(hung curdled milk) is the key to perfect rasgullas. The process of making chenna looks long but it is worth it. Since rasgulla is milk-based, it is best enjoyed fresh. The shelf life of milk-based sweets is not very long. You can keep them in fridge for few days though.

Rasgulla

Ingredients

Makes 20 Rasgullas

  • 1 litre full fat milk
  • 1 -2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 cup + 1/4th cup sugar
  • 5 cups water
  • Little (1-2 tsp) refined flour

Recipe

Bring milk to boil and switch off the gas. Wait for 3-4 minutes, stirring it occasionally for the steam to escape. Stir in 1 tbsp of lime juice. If the milk starts to curdle, then you will not need more lime juice. Add little more lime juice if the milk does not curdle.

Let it sit for some time. Take a white muslin cloth and spread it in a deep bowl. Put the milk and tie the cloth. Now run the tied cloth under fresh water for 2-3 minutes so that the chenna (curdled milk) gets washed and gets rid of the lime flavour. Hang it over a sink or any clean place where water can drip. Hang it for 3-4 hours or till the water drips out completely.

Take the chenna in a plate and mash it with the heel of your palm till you get a smooth mixture. This should not take more than 2-3 minutes.

Dust the back of a plate with refined flour. Take little chenna at a time and make smooth balls and place on the dusted plate. Make sure there are no cracks in the balls.

While you are making the chenna balls, put sugar and water in a cooker and bring to boil on a high flame.

Once the sugar water comes to boil, add the balls to it by tilting the plate. Do not touch the balls. Close the cooker and cook on high flame for 8-9 minutes without the whistle. Switch off the gas. Let the cooker get cooled. Do not touch the rasgullas still.

Open the cooker and slowly transfer the rasgullas to a bowl. Chill them in a refrigerator for 45 minutes to 1 hour before eating/serving.