Bengali Syrup-Soaked Cheese Sweets
A soft, spongy Bengali sweet made from chenna (paneer curds) and semolina, soaked in fragrant sugar syrup. These melt-in-your-mouth cylindrical sweets are studded with pistachios and finished with dried fruit.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Servings
- 12
- Calories
- 185
- Protein
- 5g
Ingredients
- 1 liter whole milk
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup fine semolina (rava)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 4 whole cardamom pods
- 1.5 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- ½ teaspoon rose water
- ¼ cup unsalted raw pistachios
- 1 tablespoon dried rose petals
Instructions
- 1
Pour 1 liter of whole milk into a heavy-bottomed stainless steel pot and set over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to ensure even heating. Watch for the milk to reach a rolling boil — you'll see large bubbles breaking the surface and smell the milk becoming fragrant, about 8-10 minutes.
- 2
Once boiling, slowly pour in 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice while stirring gently. The milk will immediately curdle and separate into white curds and yellowish whey. Stop pouring once curds are fully formed — you want clean separation. Let it sit undisturbed for 2 minutes.
- 3
Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth and carefully pour the curds and whey through it. Let the whey drain completely, then gather the corners of the cheesecloth and hang it from a kitchen faucet or hook for 20-30 minutes until the chenna is completely dry and no whey drips — press gently to speed drainage. You should have about 300-350g of soft chenna.
- 4
Crush 4 cardamom pods using a mortar and pestle until you have the seeds exposed. Discard the husks and finely grind the seeds into a powder — you want about 0.25 teaspoon of cardamom powder.
- 5
Crumble the cooled chenna into a clean bowl with your fingers, breaking it into very fine, sand-like pieces. You should have no lumps. Add 0.25 cup of fine semolina, 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter, and the ground cardamom powder. Mix gently with your fingertips until the texture resembles coarse breadcrumbs and holds together when squeezed — do not overwork or the chenna will become dense.
- 6
Finely chop 0.25 cup of unsalted raw pistachios into small pieces about the size of a grain of rice. Set aside for filling.
- 7
Take about 1.5 tablespoons of the chenna dough and roll it into a ball in your palms, then press your thumb into the center to create a small indent. Press a pinch of chopped pistachios into the indent, then gently seal the hole by rolling the ball between your palms. Shape into a cylinder about 2 inches long and 0.75 inches thick by rolling between your palms with a slight rocking motion. Repeat with the remaining dough — you should have 12 cham chams total. Place them on a parchment-lined tray.
- 8
Combine 1.5 cups of granulated sugar and 1 cup of water in a medium stainless steel pot. Set over medium heat and stir until the sugar completely dissolves — you'll see a clear liquid with no granules remaining, about 3-4 minutes. Once dissolved, stop stirring and let the syrup simmer without stirring for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 0.5 teaspoon of rose water. The syrup should feel warm, not boiling — if it's still very hot, let it cool for 1-2 minutes.
- 9
Gently place the cham chams into the warm sugar syrup — they should be fully submerged. If needed, gently stir to ensure even coverage. Let them soak for 10-15 minutes, occasionally spooning syrup over the top. The cham chams will absorb the syrup and become soft and spongy — resist the urge to leave them longer or they'll become mushy.
- 10
Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the cham chams to a serving plate, arranging them upright or on their sides. Drizzle with 2-3 tablespoons of the remaining sugar syrup. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of dried rose petals and a few extra pistachio pieces over the top for color and fragrance. Serve at room temperature within a few hours for the best texture — they'll stay tender and absorb syrup gradually, making them even more decadent.
Tools you’ll need
- heavy-bottomed stainless steel pot
- fine-mesh strainer
- cheesecloth
- mortar and pestle
- medium stainless steel pot
- slotted spoon
- parchment paper
- serving plate
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