thank you so much for all the compliments Santhi:) I'm not yet baking queen... still many things to learn:)
the rasagulla recipe is Chithramma's the link is here:
http://www.indusladies.com/forums/10951-post111.html
I'll also add here some tips that i followed after having some failures before.
1. When you make paneer: after draining the paneer as mentioned in the recipe, pour cold water until the paneer is cooled. this i noticed helps the paneer from cooking further due to the heat and gives soft paneer. then squeeze and tie the cloth to the tap of the sink. let the remaining water drain. the paneer should not become completely dry. it must retain a little bit of moisture. this particular step one can learn only by trial and error.
2. i didn't add maida since the paneer upon kneading were soft enough. i think this depends on the quality of milk as well. if the paneer cracks and difficult to roll then the maida given in the recipe helps to bind.
3. i kept one kalkandu (sugar candy) inside each paneer ball. this trick my cousin taught for getting porous inside. i have also tried without this step when doing r.gullas in pressure cooker method and they were porous as well. i simply wanted to try if this makes any difference. but if the paneer is kneaded well and cooked properly as given in recipe it is porous anyway.
4. Chithramma has not mentioned this but i cooked the rasagullas CLOSED. i also timed and sprinkled the hot water : every 5 minutes. i did like this for 4 times; after the 4th time when touched the rasagullas sprang back and it was glossy to look.
5. after removing from fire i immediately poured a cup of ice cold water to stop the r.gullas from cooking anymore. then i took out about 3 cups of the sugar syrup in another bowl. transfer the cooked r.gullas into this bowl and let it soak.
i hope i have not missed any point. i'm glad you liked the gullas:)
Latha