Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Rajbhog
Rajbhog (Giant Rosogollas)

Rajbhog

Giant Rosogollas
VegetarianOrigin West BengalPrep 30 minutes, plus standing timeCook 25 minutesMakes 12

Rajbhog are large, soft chhena dumplings filled with khoya and cardamom, soaked in sugar syrup and scented with rosewater. They taste sweet, milky and fragrant.

Cardamom filling

1 gMixed into the khoya filling (step 3)
01
Black cardamom seeds · Badi Elaichi Ke Beejseeds from pod
1 g1 pod
spice
Crush the seeds to a powder.

Everything else

01
Cottage cheese · ChhenaMake it: Chhena →
200 g
dairy
02
Plain flour · Maida
2.6 g1 teaspoon
flour
03
Semolina · Sooji
3.5 g1 teaspoon
flour
04
Milk solids · KhoyaMake it: Khoya →
60 g
dairy
05
Granulated sugar · Cheeni
1000 g
sweetener
06
Rosewater · Gulab Jal
4.9 g1 teaspoon
liquid

Method

  1. Work 200 g chhena with your hands until smooth.
  2. Work in 2.6 g plain flour and 3.5 g semolina, then knead until evenly combined.
  3. Divide the chhena mixture into 12 pieces and roll each into a ball; press each ball into a shallow disc.
  4. Combine 60 g khoya with the cardamom filling, then divide into 12 portions.
  5. Put 1000 g granulated sugar and 750 ml water in a wide heavy pan over low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.
  6. Raise the heat and boil, then cook until the syrup forms a single thread when dropped from a spoon.
  7. Place one khoya portion on each chhena disc and close the chhena around it, rolling into a smooth sealed ball.
  8. Lower the balls into the syrup and simmer until they swell to a much larger size.
  9. Add 1 tsp hot water to the syrup and cook over high heat for 7–8 minutes, until the surfaces begin to crack; remove the pan from the heat.
  10. Add 4.9 g rosewater and leave the balls in the syrup for at least 4 hours.

Don't have something?

Chhena
  • Paneer

    Use the same weight; crumble or mash. Firmer and less moist; works best in savoury dishes, not for making rasgulla.

  • Cottage cheese

    Use the same weight; drain well and mash. Wetter and more acidic; reduce other liquid.

  • Hung natural yoghurt

    Use the same weight only where the chhena is mashed into a mixture, not where it must be shaped. Tangier and softer.

Plain flour
  • Whole wheat flour

    Use the same weight, add 10–15% more water and rest the dough for 20 minutes; the result is heavier and nuttier.

  • Rice flour

    Use the same weight for crisp coatings; for doughs use no more than half rice flour with wheat flour, or it will be crumbly.

  • Cornflour

    For thickening use half the weight, mixed with cold water; it is not suitable for bread or chapati dough.

Semolina
  • Coarse semolina

    Use the same weight. Soak 10 minutes longer and cook 2–3 minutes more; texture will be more granular.

  • Fine semolina

    Use the same weight. It cooks faster, so reduce cooking time by 2 minutes and stir well to avoid lumps.

  • Cream of wheat

    Use the same weight. It behaves like fine semolina; cook 1–2 minutes less and add liquid gradually.

Khoya
  • Whole milk

    Use 4 times the weight of milk; simmer and stir continuously in a wide heavy pan until reduced to a dense, fudgy paste.

  • Paneer

    Use equal weight of finely crumbled or grated paneer mixed with 15% single cream; gives similar body but a less caramelised, milk-solid flavour.

  • Single cream

    Simmer gently until heavily reduced, or stir in directly at 70% weight; produces rich gravies without the granular bite of khoya.

Black cardamom seeds
  • Ground black cardamom

    Use equal weight. Whisk into marinades or curry bases; integrates seamlessly without biting into gritty whole seeds.

  • Green cardamom seed

    Use equal weight with a tiny pinch of ground cloves. Crush and add to spices; imparts a sweet, bright floral note instead of intense smoke.

Granulated sugar
  • Jaggery

    Use equal weight; grate or shave finely so it dissolves rapidly, giving a warm, caramel-like sweetness and slightly darker sauce.

Rosewater
  • Screwpine water or rosewater

    If using kewra water, use 50% of the volume specified; it is intensely floral and pungent, so add drop by drop to avoid overpowering.

  • Ground green cardamom

    Use 0.5 g ground spice for every 5 ml rosewater. Adds warm, perfumed top notes, shifting the aroma from floral to sweet spice.

  • Dried rose petals

    Steep 1 g dried petals in 15 ml hot milk or water for 10 minutes, strain, and stir in for a subtle, natural floral note.

Similar dishes

Chilli, Garlic & Cheese Kulcha
Chilli, Garlic & Cheese Kulcha tastes savory, buttery and sharply spicy from chilli and garlic, unlike this dish’s milky, sweet cardamom-and-rose flavor.
  • Same: Chilli, Garlic & Cheese Kulcha shares plain flour and a dairy-heavy ingredient list with this dish.
  • Different: Chilli, Garlic & Cheese Kulcha is a griddled savory flatbread with green chilli, garlic, butter and Berkswell cheese, while this dish is a sweet chhena dumpling filled with khoya and soaked in rose-scented sugar syrup.
Cheese ke Bhajiya
Cheese Fritters
Cheese ke Bhajiya tastes savoury, crisp and melty with warm spice and ketchup tang, unlike the milky, rose-sweet cardamom flavour of this dish.
  • Same: Cheese ke Bhajiya shares dairy ingredients and a flour binder with this dish.
  • Different: Cheese ke Bhajiya is a deep-fried savoury fritter made with cheddar, egg, milk, self-raising flour, baking powder, garam masala, salt, pepper and ketchup, while this dish is a sweet chhena dumpling filled with khoya and soaked in rose-scented sugar syrup.
Khurmi Naan
Tomato & Cheese Naan
Khurmi Naan tastes savoury and tangy from tomato with chilli heat and a lightly sweet cheese filling, while this dish tastes milky-sweet with rosewater and black cardamom.
  • Same: Khurmi Naan shares with this dish plain flour, a stuffed dairy filling, and granulated sugar.
  • Different: Khurmi Naan is a savoury naan stuffed with tomato, cheese, chilli powder, salt, sugar, and butter or ghee, while this dish is a chhena dumpling filled with khoya and black cardamom and soaked in rosewater sugar syrup.
Egg Bhurji with Berkswell & Shallots
It tastes rich, buttery, savoury and warmly spiced with cumin, turmeric and chilli, not milky-sweet with rose and cardamom syrup.
  • Same: It shares an Indian-style dairy-rich base and aromatic spicing with this dish.
  • Different: It is a savoury egg scramble with red onion, green chilli, coriander, butter, cumin, curry leaf, turmeric, sourdough, lardo, Berkswell and pickled shallots, while this dish uses chhena, khoya, semolina, sugar syrup and rosewater.