Directions

1. preparing the chenna: take milk in a pan and keep it to boil on a low to medium flame. i used organic cow milk which does not have much fat. if you use buffalo milk, it has too much of fat and makes a thick layer of malai/cream floating on top. you have to remove the thick layer of malai, before you proceed with the making of chenna. so when the milk is heating up, line a strainer or bowl with a cheese cloth or muslin. keep on stirring the milk at intervals so that the froth is not formed on top and the base does not get browned or the milk solids get stuck to the bottom. when the milk comes to a boil, then reduce the flame to its lowest. add 1 to 3 tbsp lemon juice. first add 1 tbsp lemon juice and stir. if the milk has not curdled completely, then add 1 tbsp more. keep the lemon juice handy with you. depending on the quality of milk, you may need to add 1 to 3 tbsp of lemon juice. stir after adding the lemon juice. sometimes i have added 1 tbsp lemon juice and the milk has curdled and sometimes i needed to add 3 tbsp too. vinegar also can be added instead of lemon juice. another option is curd/yogurt. add 4 to 5 tbsp of yogurt or more if required. with yogurt you don't need to rinse the chenna in water later. as soon as the milk curdles, switch off the flame. the milk should curdle completely with the green watery whey. if the milk does not curdle, then add ½ to 1 tbsp of lemon juice more. now pour the curdled milk in the cheese cloth/muslin lined strainer or bowl. gather the muslin from the sides and rinse the chenna or coagulated milk very well in running water. this brings down the temperature of chenna as well as removes the lemony flavor and tangy taste from the chenna. now squeeze the muslin with your hands very well, so that excess water is drained from the chenna. remember there should not be excess water or moisture in the chenna as then the rasgullas will break when cooking. place a heavy weight on the chenna for 7 to 8 minutes. you can also hang the che