Rasgulla / cheese balls in sugar syrup

Put the strained curdled milk ( paneer) in a food processor and pulse till it gets smooth. Make soft, firm round balls without any cracks.

By the time you have consumed half the mixture, combine sugar and water in a wide pan to accomodate all the rasgullas, as they are going to expand to double their size while cooking in the syrup. As you can see my pan was slightly smaller so they stuck together and some of them broke from sides while separating.

Bring the sugar mixture to a boil. Once it starts boiling let it simmer for 3 minutes on medium heat. If you are using cardamom powder add it now in the sugar syrup. From age old tradition, we use our finger and thumb to look for one thread consistency in the syrup. Put all the cheese balls into the syrup and boil on high for 15 minutes or If you are making for the first time, take out one rasgulla and drop it in a bowl of cold water, if it sinks to the bottom it is cooked. The cooking time vary depending on the size. Turn off the flame and let it cool down completely before you transfer to a bowl. If you had not used cardamom powder then add 3-4 drops of rose essence. Sprinkle some saffron threads. Rasgullas are served at room temperature or cold. They stay good on the counter for 2 days or for 1 week in the fridge.