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Rosmonjuri
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Rosmonjuri

Chhana balls in thick milk

Gaibandha, a northern district on the banks of the Brahmaputra and Teesta, is proud of rosmonjuri, a bowl of dozens of tiny chhana balls, no bigger than marbles, sitting in milk that has been reduced for an hour until it is thick, creamy and pale caramel. Shops there sell it by weight in clay pots, and it is served at weddings, after Eid lunch and whenever relatives come home. The balls are spongy and soft, the milk rich and scented with cardamom, a little like rasmalai but denser and sweeter. Dropping the balls into the milk while they are still hot from the syrup makes them burst and cloud the milk, a mistake easy to avoid by cooling both first. Chef's tip: keep the balls really small, around 1.5 cm; they double in the syrup and should still fit three to a spoon.

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