Rasagola - Sweet balls of joy.

Durga Puja and Bengal...Perhaps both these words are synonymous. Durga puja is the ethos of Bengalis and perhaps the way they celebrate this festival with grand and pomp compares none to any other community..

Festival of Bengalis and how can one miss the delectable spread of sweet dishes that this part of the country has given to the world. Chandrapulli, Labongo Latika, Payesh, Sandesh and most popular "Rasagola".

Rasagola are cheese balls(size of golf balls) immersed in a flavored sugar syrup.It is mainly prepared by kneading chhena and a small amount of semilina. These are rolled into small balls, and then boiled in light syrup made of sugar. This is done until the sugar enters the balls

Bengal and Orissa are neighboring states and each of them have some "Coffee Bite" arguments which has continued since ages..prominent among them are Was Subhash Chandra Bose an Oriya or Bengali? and the origin of the Rasagola...

In fact, whenever Bengal comes to our mind the first thing that crosses our thought is the Rasagola.

But, let me tell you an interesting fact, Rasagolla was created in Orissa much before the Bengalis knew what it was..

It is believed that rasgulla was invented in Bengal where it was considered to be a traditional sweet. Nobin Das, who was a confectioner in Kolkata is considered as the father of rasgulla. He is famously known as "Rasagolla's Columbus". But by the time Nobin Das introduced rasgulla to Kolkata, it had already become a traditional sweet of Orissa, in the cities of Bhubaneswar and Puri. The recipe or rasgulla then spread from Orissa to West Bengal. This was during the Bengal renaissance when brahmin cooks from Orissa, especially from Puri, were routinely employed in richer Bengali households. They were famed for their culinary skills and commonly referred to as Ude Thakurs (Oriya brahmin-cooks). As a result, many Oriya delicacies got incorporated into the Bengali kitchen.

The rasagolla was invented in the state of Orissa, where it has been a traditional sweet dish for centuries. Arguably, the best rasagollas in Orissa are made by the Kar brothers, the descendants of a local confectioner, Bikalananda Kar, in the town of Salepur, near Cuttack. Another variant of this dish that is made in the town of Pahala, located between the cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, is also very popular locally. One theory pinpoints the origin of the rasagolla to the town of Puri in coastal Orissa, where it is a traditional offering to the Hindu goddess, Lakshmi, the consort of the Puri temple's main deity, Jagannath. In fact, it is an age-old custom inside the temple to offer rasagollas to Lakshmi in order to appease her wrath for ignoring her, after the commencement of the annual chariot festival (Rath Yatra).

Savoring Rasagollas in Orissa is one unforgettable experience. Driving southwards on National Highway 5, just miles before the capital city of Bhubaneswar, lies the village of Pahala. The entire village - mind you, I mean each and every family - follows exactly the same business, selling Rasagollas, Chhenagaja, and Chhenapoda. There are dozens of identical looking stalls right along the highway. It would be heresy for an Oriya not to stop by one of those stalls and try some of their delectable wares.

A newcomer, used to the standard "Bengali sweets", would hardly recognize the fluffy, cream-colored, billiard ball sized wonders sold at Pahala as Rasagollas. But that is what they are. As a matter of fact, those are exactly how Rasagollas were supposed to look like for centuries before Nobin Das started marketing their crumbly, chewy descendants, calling them his own.

Pahala is not the only place you can sink your teeth into those exotic dollops of cheese. Tucked deep inside rural Orissa, lies the town of Salepur. An unassuming little place otherwise, its Bikalananda Kar Rasagollas are simply divine! These ones look a lot like their Pahala counterparts and are equally famous in Orissa. But they are eaten by the Salepuri locals with crispy Poories as the accompaniment! Although it may seem unconventional at first, a mouthful of the combination would instantly tell the uninitiated how well the Rasagollas and Poories complement each other!

But Rasagollas are not the sole Oriya creation. There are Chhenagaja, Chhenapoda, Rasabali, and Rasmalai, and much much more that Orissa has to offer. In fact much of its ancient culinary treasures are hidden even today, waiting to find their own Nobin Das's and Haradhan Moiras. Orissa, the state that gave the world Rasagolla and Kheeri is still undiscovered country, and the Mecca of gastronomic delights!

During 1868, Nobin Das, who belonged to Kolkata, modified the recipe of the rasgulla as he wanted to extend the life of the sweet which was originally highly perishable. As a result of his modification, the rasgulla became a lot spongier than it originally was but it remained non-perishable for quite some time, which made it easier for Nobin Das to market it as a product. Subsequently, K.C. Das who was Nobin Das's son began to can the rasgulla which resulted in the widespread availability of the sweets. Slowly, the popularity of the rasgulla spread to all over India. We can find rasgullas all over the country today; specially the canned ones. Not only India, rasgullas have become very popular in Pakistan and Bangladesh as well. It is really heartening to see even South Asian grocery stores in countries like the United Kingdom and America are now housing rasgullas. They are marketed not only by K.C. Das but by some famous sweet makers from Bikaner and Delhi as well.



Recipe:
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Ingredients

Chenna (Cottage Cheese)

1. Regular Milk: 4 Cups
2. Distilled White Vinegar: 1½ Tablespoon

Syrup

1. Sugar: 1 Cup
2. Sugar: 1 Cup
This is not a mistake. I add sugar in two stages. This allows the Rasagulla to remain soft and puff easier
3. Water: 3 Cups
4. Water: 1 Cup
This will be used to shock the syrup
5. Lime juice: ¼ teaspoon. This is used to complete the syrup

Miscellaneous

1. Binder/Puff Mix : 2 Tablespoons
Substitute: 2 Tablespoons of All purpose flour (Maida) and a pinch of baking soda (Double acting).
2. Pistachio Nuts Shaved: ¼ Cup
3. Rose water: ½ Tablespoon

Substitute: Vanilla extract

Method

1. Make Chenna
2. Mix "Binding/Puff Mix". Work Binder into Chenna with the heel of your hand to make it dough like consistency. Gather it like dough and cover it with damp kitchen towel or plastic film wrap. Let it rest 15 to 20 minutes for binding to work.
3. Add 3 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar. Heat till sugar is absorbed. Bring it to a boil.
4. Pinch Cheese ball and make it into ½ to ¾" diameter balls. Put these balls in boiling syrup. The balls will puff up in about 5 to 10 minutes. The cooking time depends on the size of the ball, amount and age of the binding mix. Remove the Cheese balls. Remove the cheese balls as soon as they puff up.
5. Add the remaining one cup of sugar. Heat till all the sugar is absorbed. Do NOT stir. Turn off heat.
6. Add one cup of cold water to shock the syrup. Add lemon Juice. Stir.
7. Add Rose water. Let it cool to at least warm and THEN, re-introduce Cheese balls.
8. Garnish with shaved Pistachio nuts. Put in refrigerator. Serve cold.