Rasgulla or Cottage cheese balls in sugar syrup

I am going to do this piece as a write up for a change instead of writing it as a recipe. Reason for it is, it had and has been a long and tedious process of making mistakes and learning from it when I made these.

I rather have a very interesting story of being nailing it down on my first attempt and then forgetting of how to do it. Failing on all my further attempts of achieving the success I tasted for the first time. It was a long journey, but I never lost hope and keep trying whenever I get chance to do it. And my poor hubby has to pay for all the failures, as he is the one who did all the tasting :D :P.

Anyways, after so many failures, I came across a post in my facebook foodie group by Garima Sarolia Narera (her blog link for rasgullas: https://cafegarima.wordpress.com/2014/06/15/rasgulla/). Thought let my try few variations which she suggested. After trying, it turned out good. But I think I might have missed few things or probably did it wrong that is why was not perfect.

But finally, in this attempt I almost nailed it. It was a moment of bliss which made me recall my first successful attempt and let me forget all my failures in between. Although Garima has perfectly written her blog post mentioned above on how to make these beauties, I thought of writing this again to help myself not to forget the steps I had to go through to reach this point.

Without further ado, presenting to you detailed step by step process of making these beauties called "Rasgullas".

Ingredients:

1/2 litre full fat milk
3 cups sugar
5 cups water
1/2 cup curd
1 tsp cardamom powder
pinch of saffron strands
2 tsp pistachios - cut into thin silvers
1 large bowl filled with room temperature water
5 lt pressure cooker or any large bowl.
muslin cloth - I know not an ingredient but can't do without it :P

Recipe:

0. Line a strainer with muslin cloth. Put this over a large enough bowl which can fit your strainer on top of it and set it aside.
1. Take 1 litre of whole milk.
Note: Avoid taking any other type of milk, be it skimmed/2%/1% or anything else. First of all, you wont get same amount of chenna out of them and taste won't be very great.

2. Boil the milk over high - medium heat. Keep stirring it, else it might stick at bottom of the pan.
Note: If possible use a thick bottomed non-stick pan.

3. Once milk starts boiling, start adding 1 tbsp yogurt at a time and stirring the milk in between additions of yogurt. Keep adding until chenna starts to separate out. At this point, stop adding yogurt and switch off the gas. Strain it using strainer lined with muslin cloth.
Note: Now to separate chenna, I used to use lemon juice. And that works perfectly fine. But I used to get a little bit of lemon flavor in my rasgullas, even though I used to wash the chenna properly. So as Garima suggested, I started using curd/yogurt, and it worked wonders.
Advantages: 
a. No more lemon taste in my rasgullas now.
b. No extra step of washing my chenna after straining it :)

4. Let it cool for 5 minutes, so that it won't be as hot when you touch it. Close the muslin cloth and tie the knot on top tightly. Hang this over the tap or cabinet handle for around 20-25 minutes.
Note: Do not let it hang for more than that. Because if you do, it will start to dry up more than you want it to and will start turning into paneer.

5. Once cooled and dried a little after 20-25 minutes, take it out of muslin cloth on a flat surface. I used normal large plate/thali. Texture should be a little crumbly but still wet enough so that it doesn't feel dry or dehydrated.

6. Now its time to do the labor. Start pressing it with heels of your palm and slide it on the plate with small smooth motions. Keep doing this until chenna comes together in a dough like structure. It took me around 12 minutes to reach that stage.

7. Once done, make small balls out of the dough. Keep in mind, they will be double in size, so shape them accordingly. On the other hand, take a 5lt pressure cooker or similar size utensil. Add 5 cups water,1 cup sugar and 1 tsp cardamom powder to it. Heat it over medium heat and let it come to a rolling boil. Do stir it in between until sugar gets dissolved, else it might stick at bottom and caramelize.

8. Once water starts to boil, add rasgullas in it and cover it with a heavy and large enough lid (Do not use cooker lid). Let them boil for 12-15 minutes. Check once in between at half way mark around 6 - 8 minutes.
Note: In order to check if they are done or not, at 12 minute mark, take out one rasgulla and put it in a glass of room temperature water. If it sinks down, that means it is cooked perfectly.

9. Once cooked, carefully and gently take the rasgulla's out in a big bowl of room temperature water.

10. Add 2 cups sugar in remaining sugar-water syrup and let it come to boil again. Let it boil for a minute. After a minute, close the heat. Let it cool for about 2-3 minutes. Add saffron strands to it then.
Note: Do not add saffron strands when it is boiling. Saffron tends to leave a bitter taste when added in boiling liquids.

11. Take ragullas out of water, squeeze them gently to take extra water out of them and add these to sugar syrup. Let them cool to room temperature. After that put it in refrigerator for atleast 4-5 hours.
Note: Please do not eat rasgulla's when they are hot. I know you will be tempted to eat them as soon as they come to room temperature. But trust me, I am speaking from personal experience, they taste precious after 4-5 hours of refrigeration time. So control yourself for this one time and let them "Chill Off" by themselves for some time :D.

12. Server them cold. Garnish them with pistachios on top.

Vanilla Almond Biscotti

Biscotti is an Italian name for any cookie. Its called biscotti as 'bis' means twice in italian. So anything, baked twice is called biscotti. But everywhere else, this version of cookie is treated as biscotti.

I love these. But buying it from outside, even a small box costs a lot. So I try to make them at home as much as I can. And it gives me reason to experiment with flavors too. So far this is my favorite flavor.

So presenting to you all, Vanilla Almond Biscotti. It is a perfect tea-time snack. Cruncy and delicious. Soak it in your tea, like any other biscuit and eat it.

Do leave me suggestions or comments below if any.


Ingredients:

11/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
3/4 cup almonds
2 eggs
1/3 cup unsalted butter - at room temperature


Recipe:

For Almonds:

1. Pre-heat oven at 350 F.
2. Place almonds on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Keep in mind almonds should be in a single layer.
3. Bake these for 9-10 minutes or until almonds start to change color.

4. Take these out. Let them cool to room temperature.
5. Once cooled, chop them roughly.

For Biscotti:

1. Pre-heat oven at 350F.
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
3. In a standing mixer with paddle attachment, add butter and sugar. Mix them until combined into a creamy mixture.
4. Add eggs and vanilla essence to this. Combine until a smooth mixture is formed.
5. Now add all the dry ingredients except almonds. Mix everything until just flour is incorporated fully. Do not over mix it.
6. Add almonds and mix for 15 seconds so that they are incorporated in the mixture.
7. This mixture is going to be sticky. Do not worry about it. Spread some flour on the counter and take the mixture out using a spatula.

8. Dust your hands too with flour. Now start combining the dough, till it is not sticky anymore. Do not over do this, because if you do this longer than mixture will again become wet and you need to add more flour..
9. Cut this into two pieces, and shape each of them in a rectangular bar shape. Place it on the sheet and bake them for 35 minutes.

10. After 35 minutes, take these out and let it cool to touch about 15 minutes.

11. Once cooled, cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick diagonal slices.

11. Place them on baking sheet in a single line and bake it for 9 minutes. After 9 minutes, take it out and turn them over. Bake it again for 9 minutes. Take it out and let it cool to room temperature completely.

12. Enjoy it as a tea-time snack or anytime of the day you want :)

Chocolate Chip Cookies - The Classic Way

Chocolate chip cookies, america's almost oldest sweet/snack. It is like a household staple in US. Everyone has to have these in their houses. And since it is so simple to make and taste delicious, it has been the favorite from years and years.

This is one thing which tastes best with a glass of milk. These are the soft interior cookies, you can make crispy version of it too if we decrease the amount of butter in it. Either way it tastes as awesome as it would have been tasted when these were first made.

Hope you all will like this recipe and enjoy it too like it did. Do leave any comments or suggestions you might have down below. Happy Cooking :)

Dry mixture Ingredients:

11/8 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips


Wet mixture ingredients:

3/8 cup brown sugar
3/8 cup white granulate sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 egg - at room temperature
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract


Recipe:

1. In a large bowl, add all dry ingredients and mix them well together so that no lumps are there.
2. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add butter and churn it for a minute. Since it is at room temperature this will only take 15-20 seconds.
3. Add rest of the wet ingredients and mix it well until everything is well incorporated and a smooth mixture is formed. Do not over churn them as we don't want too much air to get into cookies unlike cake batter.
4. Once everything is mixed, pre-heat oven at 375 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Now with help of ice-cream scoop, take out equal sized cookie dough balls and place them on the baking sheet. Each cookie ball should be atleast 5 fingers apart from each other.

6. Bake this for 12 - 14 minutes or until they start to turn light brown in color.
7. Once done, take it out and let it cool for about 15 minutes.
8. Eat them with milk or just like that :)

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate crinkle cookies, name itself sounds so tempting that you wanna eat it. And once you had these, you will never like any other cookie. That hard exterior and ooey-gooey interior, just melts in your mouth. These are the must have cookies for anyone and everyone.

They are super easy to make. Just one catch that you have to wait for minimum 4 hours until dough is set in refrigerator. But trust me, it is worth the wait.

Once you make them, your house gets filled with chocolaty baking aroma. And who doesn't like chocolates :). Best thing in the whole wide world.

So do make these and enjoy eating them. Do leave comments or suggestions down below. Happy Cooking :)

Dry mixture Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp espresso powder
1/4 tsp salt

Wet mixture Ingredients:

2/3 cup granulated sugar - increase the amount if you like things too sweet :)
2 eggs
1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla essence

For outer layer:

1/2 cup of confectionery sugar

Recipe:

1. In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients and mix them well together.
2. Now in a stand-mixer with paddle attachment, add butter and make it in a smooth paste. Do not over mix anything while making cookies as we do not want too much air incorporated in it.
3. Now add rest of the wet ingredients and mix for a minute or until everything is mixed well together.
4. Add dry ingredients to this mixture and mix until everything is well incorporated.
5. Transfer this in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with cellophane sheet and place in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours. Leaving it overnight gives best results.
6. After 4 hours, take it out of refrigerator. Place confectionery sugar in a flat plate as we need this to roll the cookies in.
7. Pre-heat oven at 350 F. Take a large baking sheet and line it with parchment paper.
8. Now take cookie dough and with help of spoon, ice-cream scoop or hands make equal sized balls out of it and roll each ball in confectionery sugar. Place each of them on the baking sheet atleast 5 fingers apart from each other, so that they won't stick when expanded.
9. Cook this for 12 minutes. Take it out and let it rest for atleast 30 minutes. If you try to release them from the baking sheet before this they might break as the interior of the cookies is very soft.

Strawberry Cobbler

This is a super easy dessert to make in hurry. It take very little time to prepare but when served with ice-cream it tastes delicious.

Since made out of fresh strawberries, they give the flavor a different kind of elevation in taste. You can make this with peaches too. Tastes equally yum with them.

If you love strawberries like I do and its a ritual to buy them every time you go into grocery store, you will have lots in hand to make these. And even if you don't buy them that often, buy it next time just to make this. It will make your day for sure once you eat this.

Give it a try and you won't regret it :)

Ingredients:

21/2 cups strawberries at room temperature - cut in halves
3/4 cup sugar for strawberries + 1/2 cup sugar for batter
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 tsp pure vanilla essence
2 tsp baking powder
1 stick of melted butter or 1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 tsp salt


Recipe:

1.  Add strawberry and 3/4 cup sugar. Let it rest for 30 minutes.
2. After 30 minutes, strawberries will leave out their juices and become squishy. Squish or cut them a little into small pieces using fork.

3. Preheat the oven at 375 F. Spray or coat a 9 inch baking dish with butter.
4. Take a large mixing bowl and add flour,salt,baking powder and 1/2 cup sugar. Mix everything well so that no large pieces are there.
5. Add milk, vanilla essence and butter to the dry ingredients. Mix well. Do not worry about few lumps in the batter here and there.

6. Pour this mixture in baking dish. Add strawberries along the juices on top of this batter. Do not stir or mix. Just gently spread them over the mixture.

7. Bake this for 40-45 minutes.
8. Take it out after 45 minutes and let it rest for about 15 minutes. Server hot with ice-cream or you can eat it cold too.

3 Ingredient Sweet Salty Biscuits

It can't get easier than this to prepare homemade biscuits. Only 3 ingredients, butter, sugar and flour. Who would have thought baking can be this much fun. :)

Once you bake them, you will get hooked to these. You can experiment with different flavors like pistachio/almond etc.

When I was baking, my whole house was filled with the most delicious smell of baking which by the way I absolutely love.

You have to make them to fall in love with them. Do give it a try. :)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup salted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup baking fine sugar
21/4 all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Recipe:

1. In a stand mixer, add butter and churn it with mixer attachment.
2. Once creamy in consistency, add sugar and mix well.
3. Once both of them are mixed well and coherently, add flour.
4. Mix this until it resembles crumbly mixture.

5. Take this mixture out on your kitchen platform and make a dough using your hands. This process will take around 8 - 10 minutes.
6. It should come together in a dough. Divide this in two equal parts to work with it easily. If you are comfortable you can work with the whole dough in one go.
7. Roll the dough in an inch high cylindrical shape. Now at this point I flattened all four sides to make it square shape. You can give an any shape you like.

8. Take granulated sugar and sprinkle it on the kitchen platform. Roll the rectangular dough over it and cover it with sugar on all four sides.

9. Take cellophane wrap and wrap both pieces separately and tightly twisting the sides of cellophane wrap like a toffee wrapper so that it is nicely packed and tight inside it.

10. Let this rest in refrigerator for 40 minutes.
11. After 40 minutes, preheat the oven at 325 F. Take the rolls out.
12. Cut these rolls in 1 cm thick biscuits and place it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

13. Bake this for 30 -35 minutes until slightly golden brown on edges. Do check every 5 minutes after 25 minutes timeline.
14. Let it cool completely and store it in an air-tight jar.

Bread and Butter Pudding

Bread butter pudding is a British cuisine and is sometimes also referred to as "Poor's Food" because it is made with stale bread. But, in modern times version of it, we use lots of rich food items in it.

In the recipe below, I used milk and cream both. You can replace or increase/decrease the amount of either according to how heavy or how light you want your bread butter pudding to be. You can also add your choice of dry fruits or fresh fruits you like. But just keep in mind, try to avoid fresh fruits which have lots of juices because it will ruin the pudding consistency and it will also be quite tough for it to be set.

There are lots of variations of bread and butter pudding out there. You can play with it too. Custard used in the pudding, you can make it the way you like. I prefer not making cooked version of it, only because uncooked version is very quick and easy to make. And it is going to get cooked anyways in the oven.

Please do try it and let me know below in the comments if you liked it or not. Or any suggestions or different variation you have for me to try out. Happy Cooking!!!!

Ingredients:

3 Cups bread - each slice cubed in 9 pieces
1 Cup milk
3/4 Cup heavy cream
1 Cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp butter - melted at room temperature
1 tbsp Vanilla Essence
pinch of cinnamon powder
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup nestle chocolate bits
1/4 cup apple - cut into small pieces

Recipe:

1. Take a baking dish and coat it with butter.
2. Add bread cubes, raisins, chocolate and apple pieces to it.
3. In a stand mixer or if you don't have it, do this with your hands in a large bowl. Add eggs and sugar and beat it until a creamy light yellow mixture is ready and all sugar is incorporated.
4. Add milk, heavy cream, vanilla essence and cinnamon powder.
5. Add butter. Do not worry if you see butter threads in the mixture. It is anyways going to melt in the oven.
6. Pour this mixture over bread and soak all the breads properly. If your bread is 4-5 days stale, then leave this mixture for 5-10 minutes to allow bread to get soaked in.
7. Put the dish in the oven for an hour.
8. After an hour, check by inserting a toothpick if it is cooked. Toothpick should come out clean if cooked properly.
9. Leave it over the counter for 30 minutes.
10. Server it hot, at room temp or cold. It tastes good any way :)

Almond Cookies or Baadam Nan-Khatai

This is very near to my heart as it takes me back to my mom. I used to ask her specially to make these, it tasted better than anything in the world. And on top of it, with a touch of my mom's hand, it was blissful. So I decided to make these, asked her the recipe a month back. But somehow, didn't get the time to make it and lost the recipe too. Asked her again, same thing happened.

This time I decided that I will make these as soon as I will get the recipe (obviously had to ask again :( ). But finally I made these heavenly delicious cookies with a little twist of my own. Adding almond, as I love flavor of almond in anything.

I ate one of those and than I ate 4-5. I just couldn't stop feeling happy as it came out exactly I had in my mind. So happy with the results and hopefully you will like it too :).

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup almonds - grind finely
1/2 cup butter - directly out of refrigerator
1 tsp milk

Recipe:

1. Sieve all purpose flour and set it aside.
2. In a bowl, sieve powdered sugar and mix butter. Either by hand or use a stand-mixer to mix the two together. It takes a little time, but worth it :). Mix it until it has a paste like consistency. Stop as soon as it comes together, do not over mix it.
3. Add all purpose flour and almond mixture to it.
4. Mix well, and make it in a dough like consistency. Add milk only if you feel like it is still dry and crumbly.
5. Preheat oven at 350 F.
6. Take a baking tray. Make small balls out of the dough ( keep the ball size half of what cookie size you want as it is going to get double in size) and place it on baking tray at least and inch apart from each other.
7. Put this in oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes take it out and let it cool for about 30 minutes.

8. Enjoy it with tea or alone. It tastes awesome anyhow :).