Rasgulla

Spongy cottage cheese (chenna) balls boiled in light sugar syrup until fully saturated, Rasgulla holds dual GI tags awarded to West Bengal in 2017 and Odisha in 2019, marking one of India's most celebrated culinary disputes. Each 100-gram serving contains just 186 calories, 20% fewer than Gulab Jamun's 230 calories, making it a lighter alternative. Its delicate texture, refined in Kolkata kitchens since 1868, absorbs syrup more efficiently than Kheer, reaching 25% sugar concentration by weight within 30 minutes of boiling. A defining sweet of Eastern India, Rasgulla owes its airy structure to careful churning of chenna at 15-18°C, a process perfected over 150 years.