Rasgulla

Ingredients:

Milk - 1 liter
Lemon juice - 2 - 2 1/2 tbsp
Sugar - 2 cups
Water - 4 cups
Maida - 1 tsp
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Mix a 2 tsp of maida in 3/4 cup of  warm water and keep it aside.

Preparation Method:

You need soft paneer to make rasgullas.Boil milk in a heavy bottomed pan.When it comes to boil, simmer and add lemon juice stirring continuously.The milk will start curdling. Stir until the milk solids separates from the whey.Strain it using a muslin cloth.Wash paneer well under cold running water to remove the lemon smell. Gather the four sides of the cloth, twist and squeeze out all water from the paneer.Hang the muslin cloth with paneer for 40 minutes to drain all the excess water completely.You will get soft crumbled paneer.

Method to prepare rasgulla:

Knead the panner well, adding maida and 1/2 tsp of sugar to make a soft, pliable dough. The more you knead, the more softer your rasgullas will be. Your palms will become greasy and the paneer will leave the sides of the dish.Divide the dough into equal portions and make smooth balls, ensure that there are no cracks.

Preparing the sugar syrup:

Mix water, sugar and cardamom powder in a cooker/big vessel and boil. Let the sugar dissolve first.When the sugar syrup is boiling, drop the balls gently into the hot sugar syrup. See to it that they do not touch each other.Cook on high flames for 7-8 minutes with lid closed. After that, open the lid, add 2-3 tbsp of the maida water and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Now again add 2 tbsp of plain hot water to the boiling syrup. Adding a little hot water from time to time prevents the sugar syrup from getting thicker. Cook for another 3-4 minutes or till the balls are cooked. When you press the rasgullas slightly, it must return to its original shape, then it is an indication that it is cooked.Let it be in the cooker until it cools down.Refrigerate for 3 hours and serve cold. If needed garnish with slivered almonds and finely chopped pistachio.