Rasogulla

Rasogulla is undoubtedly the most popular traditional Indian milk sweet prepared from chhana. It is undisputed king not only of Bengali sweets, but also of all Indian sweets. This soft, sweetest ball of chhana soaked in sugar syrup has delighted the taste buds of millions of sweet loving clientele for more than hundred years. It is difficult to trace the origin and history of this sweet, however, according to a report; it was made for the first time in 1868 in Kolkata at a place known as “Bag-Bazaar” by a sweet confectioner – Mr. Nobin Chandra Das.

There are various types of rasogulla sold in the market. These include ordinary type,spongy variety, covered with syrup and diabetic rasogulla. Spongy rasogulla differs in terms of taste, texture, body and succulence as compared to ordinary rasogulla.Diabetic rasogulla is prepared by replacing sucrose with low caloric sweetness or with alcoholic sugar such as sorbitol to cater the need of people suffering from diabetes or health conscious consumers. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has laid down the standards for rasogulla, which are presented in Table.

BIS standard for rasogulla

 i.Method of preparation

Rasogulla is prepared from soft and freshly made chhana. Cow milk is preferred for the production of rasogulla because it gives soft, spongy and juicy product. Use of chhana made from buffalo or mixed milk is avoided because of its somewhat hard body and coarse and grainy texture. As such buffalo milk chhana is not suitable for rasogulla making. Now attempt have been made to develop new method for production of rasogulla from buffalo milk.For rasogulla production, chhana is kneaded to a smooth paste and then small balls of about 15-20 mm diameter and 10-12 grams in weight are made. The surface of balls should be smooth and free from of any cracks. In case of buffalo milk chhana,arrowroot, semolina, and baking powder are mixed and kneaded manually to a smooth paste. One kg of chhana yields about 90-100 rasogullas. Rasogulla balls are cooked in sugar syrup having 50-60 per cent sugar concentration for about 15-20 minutes. During cooking, a small amount of water is continuously added to maintain sugar concentration. This makes up for the loss of water due to evaporation. About 10 per cent of cooking solution is replaced by fresh one, every time it is reused to cook another batch of rasogullas. After cooking rasogulla, balls are soaked in 40-45 per cent sugar syrup for about 1-2 hours. The rasogulla balls are cooled to room temperature and finally stored at refrigeration temperature. The flow diagram for manufacture of rasogulla from cow milk and buffalo milk is presented in below  Figs.  respectively.

  ii.Rasogulla Mix Powder

In order to meet the demand of rasogulla round the year and also to make the product available at place of scarcity, R&D studies have been undertaken to develop a process for production of dried rasogulla mix. Skim milk is concentrated to desired total solids level by using ultrafiltration process. The retentate is standardized for desired level of fat using cream. This mixture is spray dried. Certain additives and binders are dry blended in the standardized retentate powder to yield dried rasogulla mix. Rasogulla prepared from mix powder is reported to yield good flavour and soft and spongy body & texture.

  iii. Yield

The yield of rasogulla is about 260 grams per 100 grams of cow milk chhana. In case of buffalo milk, the yield of rasogulla is about 240 grams/100 grams of chhana.

Flow chart for manufacture of rasogulla from cow milk

Flow chart for manufacture of rasogulla from buffalo milk