Komola Bhog |Sweet|

Subho Noboborsho to all my wonderful readers. It is the time for Bengali New Year and any celebration without sweet is incomplete. So here it is the komola bhog for this auspicious occasion of Poila Baishak (first day of the New Year).

It is very common in Bengali homes to serve sweets in almost every meal of the day and during summer few chilled sliced mangoes are added to the spread.

Komola bhog is the most favorite sweet of mine because of the orange flavor and the light yellow color to it. It tastes quite similar to the famous Roshogolla and has a soft and juicy texture.

Preparing the sweet at home is easy but you have to follow some rules. The first one is the kneading of the chena. It is very important to knead the chena until it its soft and smooth or else the balls might crumble and break while cooking in the sugar syrup. The next important point is the sugar syrup. The syrup should be thin at all times. If you like you may transfer the cooked komola bhog to a thick syrup to soak for strong sweet taste.

Buying sweets from a sweet-meat shop is easy but making them at home always gives much more satisfaction and excitement and the love and compliments that you get from your family at the end is priceless. Enjoy!

Tips:

While squeezing the moisture out of the chena try not to make it too dry. You can check by rolling a small portion of the chena in between your fingers. It should form a smooth ball. If the chena feels too dry you can add little water and then knead. While cooking the Komola bhog, you will know it is ready when they are fluffed up and are doubled in size. While placing the balls in the sugar syrup, make sure they have enough space in between as they double in size.

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KOMOLA BHOG : ORANGE FLAVORED BENGALI SWEET

Komola bhog

YIELD: 20 (10 Servings)
PREP: 45 mins
COOK: 40 mins
READY IN: 1 hr 25 mins

Soft and juicy melt in the mouth Indian sweet made of homemade cottage cheese. The best thing about this sweet is that it has an orange flavor which makes it even more delicious.

INGREDIENTS

2 litres full fat milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup orange juice freshly squeezed
2-3 drops orange extract
4-5 drops yellow or orange food color
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fine suji
1 tablespoon plain flour
3 cups granulated sugar for the sugar syrup
9 cups water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a big sauce pan at medium heat, bring the milk to a boil. Stir in between so that it does not burn or stick at the bottom. Once the milk starts boiling switch off the flame and add the lemon and orange juice. Stir and wait for few minutes for the milk to curdle.
2. Once the milk fat separates from the whey, drain it on a strainer lined with cheese cloth. Now rinse the chhena or Indian cottage cheese in cold water and squeeze well. Hang it for a while and then place it on the kitchen counter and keep a heavy object over it. You can use a pressure cooker filled with water. Let it sit for 20-30 minutes but make sure that chhena does not become too dry.
3. Now take the chhena on a flat plate and start kneading it with the back of your palm for about two to three minutes. Now add the suji, flour, sugar, orange extract and the food color. Mix well and start kneading the chhena for atleast 10 minutes. After kneading the chhena will feel soft and smooth.
4. Divide the chhena in 20 equal parts and roll each into smooth ball.
5. Meanwhile to make the sugar syrup, take a big wide saucepan with a lid. Mix in the sugar, water and bring to a boil in a high heat. When it starts to boil add the shaped balls gently one by one. Put the lid on and reduce the heat to medium.
6. Let it cook for 35-40 minutes. After 15 minutes open the lid and gently turn the balls. Let it cook for the rest of the time. The balls will double in size while cooking.
7. Komola bhog is ready. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm.