RAJ-BHOG

Ingredients

• 470 g (approximately ½ seer) hard chhana (well-drained fresh paneer or fresh cheese, crumbled) (Chhana is fresh cheese made by curdling milk. It must be very well drained and as dry as possible — press it under a heavy weight for at least 1–2 hours to remove all moisture. The harder and drier it is, the better the dough will hold together.)
• 470 g (approximately ½ seer) khowa (also spelled khoa or mawa — dried evaporated whole milk solids) (Khowa is available at Indian grocery stores. It is a dense, crumbly or fudge-like block made from milk simmered until nearly all moisture evaporates. If unavailable, full-fat milk powder worked with a little warm butter is the closest substitute, though not identical.)
• 117 g (approximately ½ powa) middlings (fine wheat flour — the finest grade of semolina or very fine whole wheat flour) (Historically 'middlings' refers to a grade of milled wheat finer than bran but coarser than refined white flour. Use fine semolina (sooji/rawa) or fine whole wheat flour (atta) as the closest modern equivalent.)
• 29 g (approximately 1 chhatak) almonds, blanched and ground to a smooth paste (To blanch almonds: cover with boiling water for 1 minute, drain, then slip off the skins. Grind to a smooth paste using a small food processor or mortar and pestle, adding the smallest possible amount of water to help if needed.)
• 1.2 g (approximately ¼ tola — roughly ¼ teaspoon) aniseeds, finely ground to a powder (Aniseeds have a mild liquorice-like flavour. Grind them using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle until fine.)
• 1 pinch (a little, to taste) green cardamom seeds, finely ground to a powder (Remove the seeds from green cardamom pods and grind them finely. Pre-ground cardamom can be used but freshly ground is far more aromatic.)
• 2 tablespoons (or as little as needed) whole milk (Only use if the dough is too stiff to bring together. Add just a few drops at a time — too much will make the balls fall apart in the syrup.)
• 117 g (approximately ½ powa) sugar-candy (rock sugar / mishri), broken into small pieces (Rock sugar (mishri) is available at Indian grocery stores. Use a rolling pin or the back of a heavy spoon to break it into small pieces roughly the size of a pea. Do not substitute with granulated sugar — the original recipe specifically uses sugar-candy for the stuffing.)
• 29 g (approximately 1 chhatak) raisins (Standard seedless raisins. You may roughly chop them if preferred so they distribute more evenly in the stuffing.)
• 2 to 3 drops rose essence (concentrated rose flavouring) (Rose essence is very concentrated — use only 2–3 drops as specified. Available at Indian grocery stores and specialty baking shops. Do not confuse with rosewater, which is much more diluted.)
• 1 quantity sufficient to make a generous boiling syrup (see instructions) sugar (for boiling syrup) (The original recipe specifies only 'boiling syrup of sugar' without a precise quantity. Use enough sugar and water to make a syrup deep enough to fully submerge all 10–12 balls. A general guide: dissolve sugar in water in a ratio of roughly 1 part sugar to 1.5 parts water in a wide, deep pan.)

Instructions

1. 1Place the 470 g of hard, well-drained chhana onto a clean work surface or into a large mixing bowl. Using the heel of your hand, press and knead the chhana repeatedly until it becomes completely smooth with no lumps or grainy texture — this is essential. The goal is a soft, uniform paste. This typically takes 8–10 minutes of firm kneading. The chhana must be as dry as possible before you start; if it feels wet, pat it dry with a clean kitchen cloth first.
2. 2To the smooth chhana paste, add the 470 g of khowa, 117 g of middlings (fine semolina or fine whole wheat flour), the ground almond paste made from 29 g of blanched almonds, approximately ¼ teaspoon of finely ground aniseeds, and a pinch of finely ground cardamom seeds. Mix everything together very thoroughly using your hands, pressing and folding until a uniform dough forms with no streaks or separate pockets of any one ingredient.
3. 3Check the texture of the dough. It should be soft enough to roll smoothly into balls without cracking at the edges, but firm enough to hold its shape without flattening. If the dough feels too stiff or crumbly and will not come together, add a few drops of whole milk — no more than a few drops at a time — and knead it in. Repeat only if necessary. Be very cautious: adding too much liquid will make the balls soft and prone to breaking apart when they are boiled in the syrup.
4. 4In a small bowl, combine the 117 g of broken sugar-candy pieces (rock sugar/mishri), the 29 g of raisins, and 2–3 drops of rose essence. Stir together until the rose essence is evenly distributed throughout. Set aside. This is the filling that will go inside each ball.
5. 5Divide the dough into 10 to 12 equal portions. Take one portion and flatten it gently in your palm into a disc roughly 7–8 cm across. Place a small amount of the stuffing mixture — a few pieces of sugar-candy and 3–4 raisins — in the centre of the disc. Do not overfill, as this makes it difficult to seal. Bring the edges of the dough up and around the filling, pressing them together firmly to seal completely with no gaps. Roll gently between your palms to form a smooth, round ball. Repeat with all remaining portions. Make sure there are no cracks in the surface of any ball — cracks will cause them to break apart during boiling.
6. 6In a wide, deep pan — large enough to hold all 10–12 balls in a single layer with room to expand slightly — prepare a sugar syrup. Add enough sugar and water to create a syrup that will fully submerge the balls (a rough starting guide: use enough water to fill the pan to a depth of about 8 cm, and dissolve sugar into it at a ratio of roughly 1 part sugar to 1.5 parts water by volume). Bring the syrup to a full, rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved before it reaches the boil. Once boiling, do not stir.
7. 7Once the syrup is at a full rolling boil, gently lower each stuffed ball into the syrup one at a time. Do not drop them in from a height — lower them carefully to avoid splashing hot syrup. The balls will float on the surface of the syrup at first — this is normal and expected. Continue to keep the syrup at a steady boil over medium heat. Do not cover the pan. As they cook through, the balls will gradually sink to the bottom of the pan. Once all the balls have sunk, they are well boiled and cooked through. This typically takes 15–20 minutes, though timing may vary depending on the size of the balls and the intensity of the boil.
8. 8Once all the balls have sunk to the bottom and are well boiled, remove the pan from the heat immediately. Leave the balls to rest in the syrup, undisturbed, as the pan cools to room temperature. This resting period in the syrup allows the balls to absorb the sweet liquid and develop their full texture and flavour. The original recipe specifies serving 'a few hours later' — allow at least 2–4 hours of resting time in the syrup before serving. The longer they rest, the more syrup they absorb.
9. 9Serve the Raj-Bhog at room temperature, with some of the syrup spooned over each ball. The balls should be soft, spongy, and sweet, with a fragrant stuffing of rose-scented sugar-candy and raisins at the centre. Serve in a deep bowl or on a plate with a lip to contain the syrup.