Rasgullas

To prepare a delicious fresh cheese, we will follow the next steps carefully and patiently. We start by putting the milk in a pot to boil, choosing high-quality milk to achieve the best results. It is important to monitor the milk closely, as it can boil quickly and overflow. Once the milk reaches boiling point, we carefully add the lemon juice, continuously stirring with a wooden spatula. This step is essential, as the acids in the lemon juice will cause the proteins in the milk to coagulate and separate from the whey.

After noticing that the mixture has separated, we turn off the heat and add ice cubes, continuing to stir firmly until the ice completely melts. This will help cool the mixture quickly and prevent excess acidity left by the lemon. Then, we take a piece of cheesecloth and place it in a large bowl, pouring the cheese mixture inside. At this stage, we let cold water run over the cheesecloth to remove unwanted flavors, as well as the strong taste of lemon.

After allowing the mixture to drain well, it is time to carefully squeeze it. Excess water must be removed so that the cheese has an optimal consistency. The resulting mixture should be about the size of a medium lemon. We let it drain for 30 minutes to ensure that the cheese becomes compact. After this time has passed, we start kneading the mixture for about 10 minutes. This process is crucial, as insufficient kneading will lead to the formation of spheres that can break apart during boiling.

Once we have obtained a soft and elastic dough, we shape 13-15 spheres with our palms, ensuring that their surface is smooth to prevent breaking during the cooking process. The number of spheres depends on the desired size; I chose to make 15 pieces.

In a separate pot, we put water and sugar over low-medium heat, adding a few cardamom seeds for extra flavor. We gently stir until the sugar completely dissolves. When the syrup starts to boil, we add the cheese spheres, being careful to introduce them one by one. We cover the pot with a lid that allows steam to escape, or if we do not have such a lid, we lift the lid every 3 minutes to release the accumulated steam.

We let the spheres boil over low heat for about 10 minutes. During this time, we will observe how they increase in size, which is a sign that they have been cooked properly. After the time has passed, we let them cool completely, and then we keep them in the refrigerator for an hour before serving. This fresh cheese can be enjoyed plain or used in various dishes, bringing a touch of freshness and flavor to your meal.

 Ingredients: - 500 ml milk - 19 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice - 415 ml water - 4-5 ice cubes - a pinch of cardamom (or to taste) - 130 g superfine sugar - a few macadamia nuts

 Tags:  milk sugar lemon nut gluten-free recipes vegetarian recipes recipes for kids recipes for hepatitis recipes for hypertensives fat-free recipes