Special recipes from India

[Perfection]

Rasgoola

Ingredients

1 litre Homogenized Milk
2 tsp White Vinegar
1 1/2 Cup Sugar
3 Cup Water

Method

Bring the milk to a boil and add vinegar to the boiling milk to separate the whey. Throw away the liquid part by sifting the stuff onto a muslin cloth. Pour some cold water over the curd to cool and wash it. Discard the water and hang the cloth for 15-20 minutes to let the excess water drip off.
Put the curd in a food processor or blender and blend at high speed to get a smooth consistency.

You may add just a little (1 tsp or so) water while blending, if the curd is too dry and will not blend. Be very careful so as not to add any extra water. Remove the paste and make small balls (1-2" in diameter). Boil water in a wide vessel. Make sure that there is at least 2-3" of water in the vessel. If not, add more water and increase the quantity of sugar proportionately. Add sugar to the boiling water to make a light syrup.

Continue boiling the syrup and gently drop the curd balls in the boiling syrup. Cook the balls in the boiling syrup for 30-40 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the stuff cool down. Put the balls and the syrup in a storage container and refrigerate (don't freeze). Serve cold.

[Perfection]

Gulab Jamun (Rose Sweets)

Ingredients

Yield: 6 servings
8 Tsp Full cream milk powder
3 Tsp Self-raising flour
1/4 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp Ground cardamom
1 Tsp Soft butter or ghee
3 Tsp Water (approx.)
Ghee or oil for frying

SYRUP

2 cup White sugar
4 cup Water
5 Bruised cardamom pods
2 Tsp Rose water or few drops rose Essence

Method

Sift milk powder, flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground cardamom into large bowl. Rob in butter or ghee, then add enough water to give a firm but pliable dough which can be moulded into balls the size of large marble, or into small sausage shapes.

Fry slowly in hot ghee until they turn the colour of unblanched almonds. The frying must be done over gentle heat. Drain on absorbent paper.
Have ready the syrup, made by combining, sugar, water and cardamom pods and heating until sugar is dissolved. Put the fried gulab jamun into the syrup and soak until they are almost double in size, and soft and spongy. Add rose water when they have cooled slightly. Allow to cool completely and serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.