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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 mins
Cook Time30 mins
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 grams 2 cups sugar
  • 1 ½ litre water

Instructions

Steps to prepare paneer/cheese from milk

  • 1. Heat milk in a pot, once it has boiled, turn off the heat. Allow to cool for 5 mins .
  • Mix 2 tbsp. of lemon juice/vinegar with 2 tbsp. water and slowly add to the milk as it starts to coagulate.Add more lemon juice to the milk until the cheese and the water is clearly separated.
  • Strain coagulated milk in a muslin cloth. Drain it in a utensil beneath the sieve. This will separate chenna or cottage cheese.
  • Pour a cup of cold water on the cheese to remove any bitterness residue of lemon.

Steps for Rajbhog/cheese balls

  • Crush the saffron strands in mortar and pestle with 2-3 tsp. of fresh paneer.
  • Mix this with chenna so that you get a beautiful yellow color.Mash once again.This would take close to 30 mins or until you get a smooth dough.
  • Keep a aside 2 tablespoon of cheese/chenna ball separate and mix it with pistachios and almonds for the stuffing.
  • Divide remaining cheese into small parts so that you can roll it into small 10-12 balls of same size.
  • Add small part of stuffing to each chenna ball and roll it into a smooth ball.

For the sugar syrup:

  • Add 6 cups of water to sugar and let it boil in a pot.
  • Add 2 tablespoon milk to the syrup to remove any impurity of sugar(if impurity exists)
  • When the syrup is boiling, add the balls one by one(5-6 at a time) and cook it on high flame(covered) for 10 minutes.
  • Do not open the lid more than once in between , just for separating the balls .After you turn off the heat, keep the lid covered for 10-15 minutes atleast.
  • Transfer the contents to a serving bowl except the sugar syrup and cook the next batch
  • Let it cool further in the refrigerator for a minimum of 5-6 hours.

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