andrejthechef
BangladeshDessertDessert

Chomchom

Oblong chhana-based sweets cooked in syrup, often finished with milk solids, from Porabari, Tangail.

prep
40 min
cook
30 min
total
1 h 10 min
serves
8
level
hard
Chomchom, a dish from Porabari, Tangail

Chomchom comes from Porabari in Tangail, an oblong cousin of rasgulla made from the same fresh chhana curds, boiled in sugar syrup until spongy.

Getting the chhana dough perfectly smooth before shaping is the real skill here; everything else is mostly patience with the syrup.

Part of our 20 best Bangladeshi recipes list.

method

  1. Bring the milk to a boil, then remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice or vinegar a little at a time until it fully curdles and separates into chhana curds and whey.

  2. Strain through a muslin cloth, rinse the curds briefly under cool water to remove any sour taste, then hang to drain for 30 minutes.

  3. Knead the drained chhana on a clean surface with the flour for 8 to 10 minutes, until it turns completely smooth and slightly oily, with no graininess left.

  4. Shape the dough into small oblong logs, slightly tapered at the ends.

  5. Make a sugar syrup by dissolving the sugar in the water with the cardamom pods, and bring to a boil.

  6. Gently slide the chhana logs into the boiling syrup, cover, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until they've roughly doubled in size and feel firm but spongy.

  7. Let the chomchom cool in the syrup, then lift out and roll in grated khoya if using, finishing with a few drops of rose water.

chef's tips

  • Kneading the chhana until it’s completely smooth, with no visible graininess, is the single most important step; a grainy dough leads to sweets that crack apart in the syrup.
  • The syrup needs to stay at a steady, gentle boil, not a hard rolling one, or the chomchom can turn tough on the outside before cooking through.