Bengali Sweet Kachagolla/ Easy Paneer Ladoo

Kachagolla/paneer ladoos is a festive Bengali sweet that you can easily make at home. It is perfect for entertaining or for festive occasions like Holi and Diwali. It is luxurious milk sweet with a unique melt in the mouth texture. The most important ingredients of paneer ladoo are fresh chena/ or coagulated milk solids and sugar. Pranhara Kachagolla is light and mildly sweet when compared to other sweets and ladoos. It is always good to make it with homemade fresh paneer, but you can also make it with ricotta cheese. Kacha means raw or uncooked, so there is a little cooking process involved in making this ladoo. It is gently laced with the flavor of cardamom and rose water. Just one bite and these fragrant and exotic sweet will make you fall in love with it, and the best you can ever imagine!

Calcutta is one of my favorite cities to travel to, and it is a foodies paradise. The food of Calcutta is an unforgettable experience, especially sweets and confectioneries. I have shared several Bengali sweets made with milk like Sandesh, Peda, Cham Cham, etc. Each of these is unique in its way. Kachagolla is the easiest of them all. There is no extra cooking involved in making this ladoo. Once you have the fresh paneer or ricotta cheese, the ladoo is ready in under ten minutes. Refrigerate it so that it holds shape and serve chilled. You can try vibrant colors or flavors of your choice. Chocolate, kesar or saffron, rose, mango is all good options. The richness and taste of this sweet are truly divine. It is so addictive and the best you can ever imagine! Give this recipe a try. I would love to hear from you, so let me know how it turned out for you :)

How to make home-made paneer/ chena
Lots of Indian sweets are made with milk or milk solids. Fresh chena is an integral part of Bengali sweets and dessert. It has a moist and slightly grainy texture. You can make fresh paneer at home. I have used homemade paneer for this recipe as it gives better taste and flavor.

The first step is to boil the milk, then curdle it using an acidic medium like lemon juice or vinegar. If you are using vinegar, mix it with 1/4 cup of water and add to the milk. Use full-fat milk for this recipe. Once the milk curdles, drain the water( greenish colored whey) using a muslin cloth, and you will get milk solids. Let the water drain completely. You can also hang it so that all the excess water drains off. You can refrigerate it for up to three days. For this recipe, you can use paneer once fully drained. Using the heel of your palm, knead it until it becomes a pliable dough.

Bengali Sweet Kachagolla/ Easy Paneer Ladoo

Ingredients
To make Paneer
Milk- 6 cups
Lemon Juice- 1/2 lemon
(Or 1 tbs vinegar mixed with 2 tbs water)

Powdered Sugar- 1/4 cup
Condensed milk- 1/4 cup
Rose water- 1 tbs
Cardamom powder- 1/8 tsp
Pink food color- a few drops (optional)
Milk powder or crumbled paneer- 3 tbs
Chopped Pistachios and glazed cherries for decoration - Optional

To make chena or fresh paneer.
Boil milk and set aside for two to three minutes. Add lemon juice and let the milk curdle. Let it cool down and allow the milk to separate.
Place the cheesecloth on a kitchen mesh strainer and strain the milk. Drain off the whey and rinse it under running water and squeeze off the excess liquid. Let it sit for half an hour. You can also hang it so that all the excess water drains off.

To make the ladoos.
Transfer the chena or milk solid into a large bowl or plate and knead until smooth for 5-6 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of and continue to knead for another two minutes until it becomes a pliable dough. Transfer the content into a heavy bottom pan and cook over a low flame until all the water evaporates. It should not be for more than 2-3 minutes as we do not want the cheese to cook. Add condensed milk and mix well. Remove from the stove and add rose water and cardamom powder. Divide into equal portions and make small lemon sized balls. If you like to add color or a different flavor add at this stage. Shape into small balls and roll in milk powder (optional). Refrigerate for half an hour and serve. It tastes best when fresh. It can be refrigerated for up to two days.

To make Paneer ladoos with ricotta cheese.
You can use around 400 grams of Ricotta cheese for this recipe. In a pan, add ricotta cheese and cook over a low flame until all the water evaporates. Mix condensed milk and sugar as needed. Cook till the mixture comes together. When it comes together, add rose water and cardamom powder. Divide into equal portions and make small lemon sized balls. Shape into small balls and refrigerate for half an hour. Enjoy!