Sweets & Snacks: Kesari Rajbhog

INGREDIENTS
Cottage Cheese (chenna) from cow's milk - 250gm
Milk Solids (khoya) grated - 3tbsps
Refined flour (maida) - 1tsp
Semolina (rawa) - 1tsp
Saffron - 4-5 Strands
Rose syrup - 2tbsps
Pistachio nuts - 12-15
Almonds - 6-8
Green cardamom powder - 1/2tsp
Sugar - 4-5 cups

METHOD
Take fresh cottage cheese (chenna), knead it well till very smooth.
Add refined flour and semolina and knead it gently. Divide into 12 to 14 equal portions.
Soak pistachio nuts and almonds in one cup hot water for ten minutes. Drain, peel and chop them roughly.
Combine grated milk solids (khoya) with green cardamom powder and rose syrup. Knead it into a dough. Mix in the roughly chopped pistachio nuts & almonds and divide into 12 to 14 equal portions.
Stuff a portion of milk solids (khoya) into each portion of cottage cheese (chenna) and form them into marble-sized balls.
Combine sugar with 1/2litre water. Bring to a boil and make thin sugar syrup. Remve scum (white foam), if any and pass it through muslin (filtering) cloth.
Bring sugar syrup to a boil in wide-mouthed pan and add saffron. Gently slide in stuffed cottage cheese (chenna) balls and cook for five to six minutes on high heat.
Sprinkle about quarter cup hot water and continue to cook on high heat for another five minutes, or till they are almost double in size.
Remove and keep in sufficient quantity of sugar syrup.
Refrigerate and serve chilled.
Recipe by Tewari
Submitted by Tewari (), Calcutta, India