Rasgulla (Spongy Cottage Cheese Balls in Syrup)
Soft, spongy milk curd balls simmered in light cardamom syrup and served chilled, the classic Bengali sweet.
- Time1 hr 30
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £0.53 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
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Method
- 1
Bring the milk to a rolling boil in a large heavy pan, stirring now and then so it does not catch.
5 min - 2
Turn the heat off. Stir in the lemon juice a spoonful at a time until the milk splits into white curds and clear green-yellow whey. Leave for 2 minutes.
2 min - 3
Line a colander with a clean muslin or thin tea towel and pour in the curds. Rinse well under cold running water for a minute to wash away the lemon taste. Gather the cloth, squeeze out the water and hang it over the tap for 20 minutes.
20 min - 4
Tip the curds onto a clean worktop. Knead with the heel of your hand for 8 minutes until completely smooth, soft and slightly oily, with no grainy bits. Divide into 12 and roll each into a crack free ball.
8 min - 5
Put the sugar, water and cardamom in a wide pan and bring to the boil. Drop in the balls, cover and boil hard for 15 minutes. They will swell to double their size.
15 min - 6
Add 100 ml of the cold rinsing water, cover and boil for 3 more minutes. Stir in the rose water.
3 min - 7
Let the rasgulla cool in the syrup, then chill for at least 2 hours. Serve cold with a little syrup spooned over.
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.