Rasabali – Holi Special Sweet Dish – Special Oriya Sweet Dish of Baladevjew Temple of Kendrapara

Every state has its own special dish in different groupings. It can vary from sweet to sour to spicy, all combines with the climate and weather the region faces all through the year.

The specialty in Orissa is about the Temple Bhogs mostly of the Jagannath Temple in Puri. People love to visit Puri mainly for two reasons. This place is a tourist’s delight for the long stretch of the sea and its coastline and the famous Jagannath Temple. Being in Puri, and a Hindu by religion, one surely takes the advantage of enjoying the MahaPrasad of the Jagannath Temple. In Bhubaneswar is the famous Lingaraj Temple which also has this Prasad system.

The Rasabali is a special sweet preparation offered to God in the Baladevjew Temple of Kendrapara. Those who have tasted this sweet dish of Kendrapara years back, recollect the magical taste of it. They say with time this sweet has gone down in quality. Elders speak of the good old days and youngsters try to believe though time has changed the standards.

A little of Rasabali – this is a dish that has many flavours of milk combined. Little patties are made from chenna, fried and dipped in sweetened reduced milk.

To make the dough for the Chenna balls:

Home-made Chenna (cottage cheese): 1 ½ cup

Maida: 1 tsp.

Sooji/rawa: 1 ½ tsp.

Sugar: 3 tsp.

Baking powder: ½ tsp.

For Sweetened reduced milk:

Milk: 1 litre

Condensed milk: 1 tin (used milkmaid condensed milk)

Preparation:

Chenna dough

Mash the chenna and rub it with the edge of the palm to make it soft and smooth.

To this add the sooji/semolina, maida and the sugar and mix well till the sugar loses its solid feel.

The dough is ready.

Now pinch out small balls from this dough, size of a big playing marble.

Flatten the ball between the palms to make small round shaped patties.

Keep them aside.

Next: Making the sweetened reduced milk

Boil the milk in a thick bottom vessel.

Go on stirring from time to time for 15-20 minutes.

Add the condensed milk and keep stirring so that the milk does not stick to the bottom of the vessel.

No need to add sugar as the tinned condense milk has the sweetness necessary.

Before it becomes too thick, switch off the flame.

Frying the cheese balls:

Heat sufficient oil in a kadhai.

Once it is hot, reduce the flame.

Fry the chenna flat-round- balls in soft heat so that the outer portion doesn’t get burnt leaving the inner part half-fried. Slow heat is necessary.

Let the outer skin get the dark brown tan.

Take it out on kitchen towel.

The finishing touch:

Put in all the fried balls into the reduced milk.

Light the stove and let the contents boil for a couple of minutes.

Dish is ready to be served.

Can garnish it with some nuts.

I like it plain and simple.

Here treat your taste buds once you have made it in your kitchen.

It will be a good treat for family and friends on Holi.

Happy Holi!!!

© gouri guha 2014