‘Rasgulle ki sabzi’ — these three words have single-handedly raised the blood pressure of Bengalis and Odias for the past one week.
When Mumbai-based makeup artist Saikat Chakraborty posted a reel on Instagram from the dining hall of Fairmont Udaipur Palace, zooming in on a serving dish labelled “rasgulle ki sabzi”, the internet went bananas.
“Please do not scar a Bengali like this,” the makeup artist said in the now-viral reel.
To both Bengalis and Odias, the roshogolla feels personal. For the longest time, West Bengal and Odisha have fought for their ownership. At the end, the GI tag was granted to both.
However, ‘rasgulle ke sabzi’? It brought together Bengalis and Odias to fight against this culinary creation.
But what if we told you it is not something new or a result of another failed fusion experiment? It is simply a clever, perhaps even healthier cousin of chhanar dalna that has existed for a while.
After looking at several recipes and regional variations online, here’s what we found.
According to a 2018 blog post by Debjanir Rannaghar, the food writer describes having the dish roadside while travelling from Delhi to Jaipur alongside dishes like ‘bhujiye ki sabzi’. She also provides a recipe made with store-bought rosogollas.
And it is just not rosogolla, in Jaipur, there is also something called ‘Gulab Jamun ki Sabzi’.
In many other recipes, the rosogollas used are not sweet. They are unsweetened chhena balls, boiled in water minus the sugar. Unlike chhenar kofta, where the balls are fried, these are used in the curry directly in their boiled form. These are simmered in a rich cashew-based gravy to make Rasgulle Ki Sabzi.
Ingredients
For the chhena balls
- Fresh chhena: 250g
- A pinch of salt
- Maida: 1 tbsp, optional
- Water for boiling
For the gravy
- Onion paste: 1 tbsp
- Ginger paste: 1 tsp
- Cashew paste: 2 tbsp
- Turmeric: ½ tsp
- Cumin powder: 1 tsp
- Coriander powder: 1 tsp
- Garam masala: ½ tsp
- Salt to taste
- Oil or ghee: 2 tbsp
- Warm water: 1 to 1½ cups
Method
- Start with the chhena. Knead it till it is completely smooth. Add a pinch of salt and a little maida if the mixture feels too soft. Shape into small, crack-free balls
- Bring water to a gentle boil and slide the balls in. Let them cook for 8 to 10 minutes. They will firm up and float slightly. Remove and keep aside
- For the gravy, heat oil or ghee in a pan. Add the onion paste and cook till light golden. Stir in ginger paste and the dry spices. Let them bloom
- Add the cashew paste and cook on low heat till the oil begins to separate. Pour in warm water and allow the gravy to simmer for five minutes
- Now, gently add the boiled chhena balls. Cover and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes, so they soak in the flavours. Finish with a sprinkle of garam masala