RAJBHOG. Kesar Sweet

RAJBHOG. Kesar Sweet A very famous sweet of Bengal. This sweet is made by curdling the milk and could be easily prepared at home and is simply delicious. The ingredients that we need, to prepare this sweet are milk, Saffron (Kesar), vinegar, sugar, cardamom, Semolina i.e sooji, and orange food color which is optional. For curdling the milk lemon juice could also be used instead of using vinegar.

Rajbhog, also known as Raj Bhog, is a traditional Bengali dessert prepared with paneer cheese. This delicacy is quite similar to Rasgulla, a popular Bengali sweet. Rajbhog is a simple and fuss-free dish to prepare at home. Simply follow the recipe to the letter and you’ll have the finest Rajbhog ever.

So get ready to serve this delectable delicacy Rajbhog to your guests at your next get-together. They’d be blown away by the appearance and flavor of it. It would make everyone go gaga.

Moreover,

This sweet is prepared by preparing chenna from fresh milk (full fat) and mixing it up with saffron, cardamom, and orange food color. Mashing it up using hands until soft and smooth to touch and shaping it as a round softball. Inside this softball, we need to fill some hand crushed pistachios or any dry nuts of choice. This is a very famous sweet of Bengal. Rajbhog (or Kesar rasgulla) infuses the goodness of the ancient Indian spice of saffron into the regular rasgulla. It is basically a spongy and soft rasgulla with a flavor of kesar and the center of it is filled with some dry nuts which give it a more unique texture and flavor.

Ingredients required to prepare this:

• Milk: (full fat) 7 cups
• Vinegar 5 tablespoons + water 5 tablespoons or use lemon juice to curdle the milk
• Saffron or kesar: a pinch
• Cardamom: a pinch
• Orange food color: 2-3 drops
• Some hand-crushed pistachios or any dry nuts of choice

Ingredients for preparing sugar syrup for Rajbhog we need…

• Sugar 2 and a 1/2 cup
• Water 8 cups
• Kesar water ( i.e a pinch of saffron or kesar mixed with water)

Directions to prepare Rajbhog. Kesar sweet:

Into a large wide and deep pan add 8 cups of milk (full fat) and bring it to boil. As soon as it reaches its boiling point lower the flame and add the diluted vinegar mixture into it ( vinegar 5 tablespoons + water 5 tablespoons) Add vinegar mixture gradually and stir with light hands. Slowly the chenna and water will separate completely. This is when the milk has curdled completely and it’s ready to use.

Strain the chenna by using a cheesecloth over a strainer. Wash and rinse the chenna 2 to 3 times to get rid of any sourness from it. Twist and turn the cheesecloth by holding tight and squeeze out all the water. Transfer on a flat surface and mash and knead it while it’s warm. Knead for at least 4 minutes or until it feels soft and smooth.

Add a pinch of saffron or kesar, a pinch of cardamom powder, and 2 to 3 drops of orange food color into it. Mix and knead for about a minute or until the colors spreads nice and evenly into it.

Shaping:

Form round-shaped balls. Press and make a hole at the center of the chenna ball with the help of your fingertips. Put in some hand crushed pistachios or any other dry nut of your choice. Cover the hole and shape it back as a smooth softball without cracks

Directions for preparing sugar syrup:

Into a deep wide pan add 2 and a 1/2 cup of sugar and 8 cups of water. Turn on the flame and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add kesar or saffron water into it. Once the sugar and water mixture starts to boil add the chenna balls and cover and cook in high flame for 10 minutes. Enjoy hot or warm it’s simply delicious.

Step by step method along with the images shown below:

Into a large wide and deep pan add 8 cups of milk and bring it to boil.

Add 5 tablespoons of vinegar into 5 tablespoons of water and mix in order to dilute the vinegar. And as soon as the milk reaches its boiling point lower the flame and add the diluted vinegar mixture into it. Add gradually and stir with light hands.

Slowly the chenna and water will separate completely. This is when the milk has curdled completely and it’s ready to use.

Straining and shaping of the chenna balls

Strain the chenna by using a cheese cloth over a strainer.

Wash and rinse the chenna 2 to 3 times to get rid from any sourness from it.

Twist and turn the cheesecloth at the top by holding tight and squeeze out all the water.

Mashing of the chenna

Transfer on a flat surface and mash and knead it while it’s warm. Knead for at least 4 minutes or until it feels soft and smooth.

Add a pinch of saffron or kesar, a pinch of cardamom powder, and 2 to 3 drops of orange food color into it.

Mix and knead for about a minute or until the colors spreads nice and even into it.

Preapring chenna balls

Form round shaped balls. Press and make a hole at the center of the chenna ball with the help of your fingertips. Put in some hand crushed pistachios or any dry nut of your choice. Cover the hole and shape it back as a smooth softball without cracks.

Filling dry-nuts into the Chenna balls

For syrup:
Into a deep wide pan add 2 and a 1/2 cup of sugar and 8 cups of water. Turn on the flame and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add kesar or saffron water into it. Once the sugar and water mixture starts to boil add the chenna balls and cover and cook in high flame for 10 minutes. Enjoy hot or warm it’s simply delicious.

Total time consumed:

• Time to prepare: 30 minutes approximately
• Time to cook: 10 minutes
• Total time: 40 minutes

Watch the full video for the recipe below:

Some people also ask?

What is the difference between Rajbhog and Rasgulla?

Rajbhog and Rasgulla both, are made with chenna and cooked in the sugar syrup (chashni). The only difference is that Rajbhog is always yellow or orange colored, and is stuffed with dry fruits. It is also slightly stiffer and a bit bigger in size.

What is the exact flavour and texture of RAJBHOG?

These are little bigger in size than rasgullas. The flavour is very aromatic because of cardamom and saffron which makes it unique . Also the color is because of strong saffron flavour added to it. Some times Rose essence is also mixed to enhance Rose flavour into it. Texture is dense, spongy, soft.

What does RAJBHOG means?

As per Wikipedia “Rajbhog“, as the word depicts, means king s (or Maharaja s) offerings to the Gods. Traditionally, only the finest quality sweets were made as an offering for this holy event.

Is it possible to prepare Rajbhog with a variety of flavors?

Sure, why not? The flavor of kesar (saffron) is used in traditional Rajbhog. However, if you’re like me and enjoy experimenting with authentic foods, the good news is that this recipe can easily be altered to achieve your ideal flavoring.

So go ahead and experiment with the flavors that appeal to you. Cardamom, rose water, and kewara are some of my other favorite rajbhog flavors.

Is it necessary to stuff Rajbhog?

Saffron and dry fruits are used in the preparation of Rajbhog. As a result, this dish is regarded as a royal delicacy. As a result, dry fruit stuffing is required in the traditional Rajbhog recipe. If you don’t like dry fruit filling, you can leave it out entirely. You can also stuff it with mawa or a variety of other fillings of your choice.

What’s the difference between Rajbhog and Rasgullas?

Both Rajbhog and Rasgulla use chena and are cooked in a sugar syrup (chashni). The only distinction is that Rajbhog is always yellow in color and contains dry fruits. It’s also a little stiffer and larger in size.

How and when to serve?

Refrigerate the rajbhog and sugar syrup for 3-4 hours after chilling. Rajbhog has been prepared. Serve it cold as a dessert after dinner.

Storing Rajbhog

Refrigerate Rajbhog along with the sugar syrup. When kept covered in the refrigerator, rajbhog can last up to a week.

What are the most significant pointers for making the best Rajbhog?

• Paneer balls should be made using soft chena. If the chena is too dry, smoothing the dough will be difficult, and the balls may shatter in the syrup. They’d also become brittle.
  Furthermore, if the paneer has too much moisture, the Rajbhog may become flat during the cooking process.
• When you dip the balls into the syrup, make sure it is constantly boiling. This step will ensure that your Rajbhog is spongy.
• I have not used any extra ingredient in order to prepare Rajbhog slightly rigid in texture, but if you like you may use semolina or corn starch instead. As a binding agent, arrowroot, semolina or cornstarch or even all-purpose flour could be used to mold the balls after stuffing
• Make sure there are no cracks in the paneer balls once you’ve stuffed them. If you notice any cracks, try to smooth them out. Otherwise, the balls may shatter.