Chomchom Bangladeshi

Chomchom is a Bangladeshi milk sweet, originating in the town of Porabari in the Tangail district in the mid-19th century, and now one of the most beloved desserts across Bangladesh and Bengali-speaking India. It is made from chhana (fresh curd cheese), kneaded into a smooth dough, shaped into small ovals, and simmered in sugar syrup until the cheese absorbs the syrup and becomes dense and chewy. The chomchom is then rolled in grated coconut or dried milk powder and sometimes coloured pink or yellow with food dye. The texture is denser and more chewy than the more famous rasgulla (which is softer and spongier), and the coconut coating adds a textural contrast. The Porabari chomchom is considered the gold standard, and the town's name is synonymous with the sweet in Bangladesh.

Dense, chewy, intensely sweet with a coconut coating that adds a dry, nutty texture against the syrupy interior. Each bite releases the absorbed sugar syrup, the cheese firm and springy. A sweet for those who love texture.

The technique involves making chhana, shaping, syrup-cooking and coating. Milk is curdled with lemon juice or whey, the curds strained through muslin and pressed to remove moisture, then kneaded into a smooth dough. The dough is shaped into small ovals. A sugar syrup (about 1:1 sugar to water) is brought to a boil, the chomchom ovals added, and simmered covered for 20 to 30 minutes, during which the cheese absorbs the syrup, expands slightly, and develops its dense, chewy texture. After cooking, the chomchom are drained, rolled in grated coconut or milk powder, and sometimes coloured. The syrup-cooking must be gentle; vigorous boiling breaks the fragile cheese. The pressing of the chhana must be thorough; wet chhana falls apart in the syrup.