I have a major weakness for Bengali sweets. Usually my sweet tooth is restricted to anything that has even a hint of chocolate but Bengali sweets are way up high on my “Cant Resist” list alongwith the yummy chocolate. I think chocolates and Bengali sweets can go head to head in their effort to vie for my attention :) To tell you the truth there is no competition at all. I can finish a plateful of both varieties in a heartbeat. Ofcourse the guilt will follow but atleast my tastebuds will thank me :) So here we go with the recipe for rasgulla’s. Infact I dont need to describe the wonderful flavour at all! Just have one and let the explosion of taste do the talking for you! Its that good!

Edited to Add: A reader Swapan commented that rasgullas are originally from Orissa. Thanks a lot for the info. Checked on wiki and it says that rasgullas made their way from Orissa to Bengal. You can read more about it here

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Ingredients:

2 and half cups of water
1 cup sugar
Paneer
A few strands of saffron.

Method:

Divide the paneer into small balls. These will double in size once cooked, so make the balls accordingly.

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Heat water and sugar in a pressure cooker to make syrup. Once the sugar is dissolved and the water is boiling, add the saffron.

Then add the paneer balls. Remember that they will expand so add as many as will comfortably fit in the cooker even after the expansion.

Cook for 1 whistle and keep aside. Bring to room temperature and then refridgerate.

Serve chilled with the syrup.

If you dont have a pressure cooker, you can make the rasgullas in a normal vessel with a tight lid. Just cook the rasgullas on medium-high flame for 25-30 minutes. You may have to add more water, so adjust the propotion of water and sugar accordingly.