Spongy Chhena Balls Poached in Cardamom Syrup

What you need

• 1 l (4 cups) whole milk
• 3 tbsp lemon juice, strained, mixed with 3 tbsp water
• 300 g (1 1/2 cups) granulated sugar
• 750 ml (3 cups) water, for the syrup
• 4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1/2 tsp rose water, optional

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy pan over medium heat, stirring so it does not catch.

2. 2

   Turn off the heat and wait 1 min. Pour in the lemon juice mixture a little at a time, stirring gently, until the curds clump and the whey turns clear and pale green. Stop adding as soon as that happens.

3. 3

   Line a sieve with muslin and pour in the curdled milk to drain.

4. 4

   Rinse the curds under cold running water for a few seconds to wash off the lemon taste and stop them cooking.

5. 5

   Gather the cloth, squeeze out the excess whey and hang the bundle for 30 min. The chhena should be moist but not dripping.

6. 6

   Tip the chhena onto a clean counter and knead with the heel of the hand until completely smooth and slightly greasy, 8-10 min.

7. 7

   Divide it into 14 equal pieces and roll each into a ball between the palms. Make sure there are no cracks, or the balls will split in the syrup.

8. 8

   In a wide pot that leaves room for the balls to double, bring the sugar, water and cardamom to a rolling boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

9. 9

   Drop in the balls, cover and keep at a steady boil over medium-high heat for 15 min. They will swell to about twice their size.

10. 10

    Turn off the heat and let the balls cool in the syrup, then sprinkle over the rose water, if using.

11. 11

    Chill for at least 1 hour and serve cold with a little of the syrup.

Imported from namscorner.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.