Kamala bhog ( Orange flavored cottage cheese balls in sugar syrup)

Today is  Bijaya Dashami, last day of Durga Puja. This year we enjoyed a lot in Durga Puja though on the day of Dashami I felt sad, Puja is in end. There are many rituals related to Durga Puja, but for a married woman this day we played a ritual called "Sindoor Khela". Since Sindoor is a sign of a Hindu married woman, by this ritual we enjoyed smearing sindoor on each other. This ritual means to wish each and everyone a good fortune and a happy married life. 

In Bijaya Dashami we also distribute sweets among friends and relatives, so this time sweet shops are full of a variety of sweets. Bengal is famous for Roshogolla(cheese balls in sugar syrup), though Rajbhog(big edition of Roshogolla), Komala bhog (orange flavored cheese balls in sugar syrup) is also popular. Today I made Komala bhog to surprise my husband in Bijaya Dashami. It is the same as making roshogollas, just it is flavored by orange. Hope you will like this recipe. Happy Bijoya Dashami.

Yield - 13/14 

Preparation time - 60 minutes

Cooking time - 20 minutes

Ingredients:-

200 ml Orange juice

1-liter whole milk

1.5 cup of sugar

1.5 cup of sugar extra

1 tsp cardamom powder

1 tsp rose water

1 pinch yellow food color

Water as needed

Method:-

In a big pan start boiling milk. When milk is bubbling switch off the gas and wait for 2 minutes. Then slowly add orange juice and stir the milk, it will start curdling. When milk is fully curdled stop adding juice. 

Drain the whey in a muslin cloth over the strainer. As we need the taste of orange juice so we don't need to wash the chenna/ curdled milk. Slowly fold the cloth and (be cautious it will be super hot) hung it to drain excess water for 30 to 45 minutes.  

After 45 minutes take out chenna /cottage cheese in a plate and add baking powder, powder sugar, semolina, and yellow color. Knead it for 20 - 25 minutes to make a dough. Then make balls as per the size you want from the dough.

In a pressure cooker boil 1.5 cups of sugar and 4 cups water. When it starts bubbling add cottage cheese balls and close the lid. Wait for one whistle then switch off the flame. It can be made in a big pan but then komala bhog will not be puffy or spongy. Let cool the pressure cooker normally. Open the pressure cooker, Komala bhog is ready. In a separate pan take out all cooked cheese ball / komala bhog.

In the same sugar syrup in a pressure cooker add 1.5 sugar, cardamom powder and boil, when sugar is dissolved properly, switch off the flame. Transfer sugar syrup in a bowl and add komala bhog on it. Let it cool, then add rose water on it. Wait for more 4 to 5 hours before serving. Tasty puffy, spongy Komala bhog/ Orange flavored cheese balls are ready to serve.

Komala bhog is ready to serve.

Happy Cooking:)