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kesar rajbhog
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4.25 from 8 votes

Kesar Rajbhog recipe

Kesar Rajbhog dessert is a much-loved sweet.You can even find this flavor in cakes now.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: bengali mishti, kesar bati recipe, kesar bati sweet, kesar bhog, kesar raj bhog, kesar rajbhog, raj bhog, raj bhog mithai, rajbhog bengali sweet, rajbhog dessert, rajbhog mithaai, rajbog, rajbogh
Servings: 10
Author: bhavana bhatia

Equipment

  • muslin cloth
  • saucepan
  • mortar and pestle

Ingredients

For chenna/cheese balls:

  • 1.5 liter full fat milk
  • 1 liter lite milk for better texture, else use 0.5L full fat milk
  • 2 tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice
  • 12-14 strands of saffron/kesar

For the stuffing:

  • 1 tablespoon pistachios sliced
  • 1 tablespoon almonds sliced

For sugar syrup

  • 500 g sugar about 2 cups
  • 1.5 liter water for sugar syrup

Instructions

Steps to prepare paneer/cheese from milk

  • Heat the milk in a pot. Once it boils, turn off the heat and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.
  • Mix 2 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar with 2 tablespoon water and slowly add it to the milk as it starts to coagulate. Add a little more acid only if needed until the curds and whey clearly separate.
  • Strain the coagulated milk through a muslin cloth. Drain into a utensil beneath the sieve to separate the chenna or cottage cheese.
  • Pour a cup of cold water over the cheese to rinse away the lemon or vinegar residue.

Steps for Rajbhog/cheese balls

  • Crush the saffron strands in a mortar and pestle with 2-3 teaspoon fresh paneer.
  • Mix this with the chenna and mash until smooth and evenly yellow; this may take close to 30 minutes.
  • Keep aside 2 tablespoon chenna and mix it with the pistachios and almonds for the stuffing.
  • Divide the remaining chenna into 10-12 equal portions and roll into smooth balls.
  • Add a small portion of stuffing to each chenna ball and roll it smooth again.

For the sugar syrup:

  • Add 1.5 litres water to the sugar and bring it to a boil in a pot.
  • When the syrup is boiling, add the balls 5-6 at a time. Cover and cook on high heat for 10 minutes.
  • Open the lid no more than once during cooking if you need to separate the balls. After turning off the heat, keep the pot covered for at least 10-15 minutes.
  • Transfer the cooked balls to a serving bowl, leaving the syrup in the pot, then cook the next batch.
  • Refrigerate for at least 5-6 hours before serving.

Notes

Note: Chenna balls must be very smooth otherwise they will disintegrate when put in sugar syrup.The balls should be of a small size as they puff up to double the size when boiled in sugar syrup.
You may skip Step 1-4 by using dairy paneer from the market. However texture might differ depending on the quality. Homemade paneer is always better as you know what you are using.
Optionally, you may add cardamom powder or elaichi powder in the syrup.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g