Few days back, I attempted Rasagulla recipe and after its grand success at home, I was tempted to try out another one of our very favorite Bengali sweets – Rajbhog. Rasagullas are fairly available in even small stores, thanks to the tinned versions of Haldirams. Unlike Rasagullas, Rajbhog is seen only in specialty sweet shops and I saw it for the first time only in Bangalore. To look at it, it seems like a bigger version of Rasagulla which is yellow in color. And that is partly true. Preparing Rajbhog is quite similar to that of Rasagulla. In the olden days, this sweet was prepared for the Kings and consisted of different nuts and dry fruits. Saffron, which was affordable only by rich people was used in preparing this sweet making it very rich in taste and hence the name Rajbhog. I used full fat milk to prepare Rajbhog and that is something I am sure not going to try the next time. The amount of Chenna/milk curds was good compared to that of the toned milk but the fat content of the milk curds made it quite difficult to roll out the Rajbhog. I used almonds, cashews and pistachios to fill the Rajbhog and this is something that can customized. In the account of no saffron strands, one can use yellow food color.
To make Rajbhog Serves – 4 Time to prepare – 45mins What I used –
Milk, 1 ltr Sugar, 2 cups Lemon Juice/Vinegar, 2 tbsp Mix of Almonds, Cashews and Pistachios, 3 tablespoon (finely chopped) Rose Essence, ½ tsp Saffron, a few strands Water, 2 cups + additional
How I made –
Note: Over-kneading the milk curds can separate out the fat content. If the milk curds have more moisture, the cooked Rajbhog can turn flat and if the milk curds are very dry, Rajbhog can turn very hard. Saffron can be replaced with yellow food color. Typically, Rajbhog is larger in size compared to Rasagullas. Make bigger sized balls and ensure that the pot with the sugar syrup is wide enough to let all the Rajbhog balls swim freely while cooking.
