Komola Bhog Recipe – Orange Flavored Cottage Cheese Balls Stewed in Sugar Syrup

Ok, so we are into the second day of Debi Paksha and just for the records, I am not feeling any better. Nostalgia hits me at the slightest hint of my city. I am rather known to make a big deal out of it all, but I can’t help it. It’s like staying away from something, which would be real fun. For those who do not have a clue of what I am talking about, I am referring to a 10 day period that we Hindus observe this time of the year and is essentially the biggest festival for us.

And the food was always a very big part of any celebration for us especially something as grand as Durga Puja. The 10^th day or last day of the celebration would be the day dedicated to sweets. It is the day when we believe that the Goddess emerged victorious over the demons she was fighting and this victory is celebrated with a tradition of exchanging sweets between friends and family. This day is known as Vijaya Dashami.

Komola Bhog Recipe

Now what I mean by sweets would be traditional hand-made confections of sugar, cottage cheese, coconut, cream, and milk. These sweets are often made from handed-down recipes, which have withstood the taste test of quite a few generations until now. These are traditional delicacies that any Bong worth his salt would swear by. Earlier the matriarch of homes obviously aided by other family members would make these. Today, back home, very few people find any value in making these from scratch especially when they are easily available and very affordable. There are specialty stores, which churn out these classics round the clock during such festivals.

However, that’s not my case. I have no access to these goodies unless I make them. And that is how it has been all these years. So over the years, and over many trials, errors, frustration, blood and sweat I have perfected a few of these classics. One of them is “Komolabhog”. Literally translated it means Orange Food. Now let’s not take things literally here because the dessert that we are talking about is anything but just orange food. It’s the Rasgulla, kicked up a notch. Rasgulla is the mother of all Bong desserts. It is a ball of cottage cheese that is stewed in sugar syrup. And the komolabhog is a rasgulla with a subtle orange flavor. Its subtlety is what gives it, its sophistication. Of course, its orange color is pretty symbolic too.

Back home, my neighborhood store makes the best komolabhogs. Sam is particularly so fond of these that every time we are visiting, mom would definitely stock up on these. I have tried many times to make them and failed. It would just not have the right texture, consistency, and taste. However, tweaking things and not giving up finally led me to success. This is an absolutely no-fail recipe which lies scribbled in a notebook until now. And this is one recipe that I feel the need of documenting right away. So here it is the traditional komolabhog.

Komola Bhog Recipe

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• Author: Somdatta
• Prep Time: 20
• Cook Time: 60
• Total Time: 80
• Yield: 8

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Description

Try out this Komola Bhog Recipe at home and cook this delicious dessert for everyone. This a delicious treat very traditional to the Bong culture.

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Ingredients

For the Cottage Cheese (Chhana)

• Milk – 1 quart
• Lemon juice – 4 tbsp

For the Syrup

• Sugar – 2 cups + 1 tbsp (divided)
• Water – 4 cups

For the Komola Bhog

• Cottage Cheese ( Chhana) – 275 grams
• Fine Semonila – 1.5 tsp
• Orange Essence – 1.5 tsp
• Orange Food color – 1/16 tsp ( I used the gel)

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Instructions

1. Bring the milk to a rolling boil.
2. Add the lemon juice and watch it curdle.
3. As you see the whey separating from the milk solids turn off the stove. Let it rest for 5 mins.
4. Drain on a cheesecloth to separate the whey. Rinse the chhana with water so that the traces of lemon juice are washed away.
5. Tie a knot around the cheesecloth and leave the chhana in a suspended position for about 15 mins so that the whey is discarded.
6. Now the chhana should not be too dry or too moist.
7. Add the semolina, sugar, orange essence and food color to it and knead it well for about 6-8 mins. Make sure that all lumps are removed and the consistency is moist and smooth.
8. Make 8 balls out of it.
9. In the mean time, get the sugar syrup going. In a large colander boil the water and sugar together. The sugar would take about 10-12 mins to dissolve.
10. Thereafter boil the syrup for about 3-4 mins on high flame to concentrate it. The consistency should be stringy between the tips of your fingers when you touch it.
11. Drop the chhana balls gradually in the sugar syrup. Cover and cook them in the boiling syrup for 20 mins.
12. If the syrup looks concentrated add ¼ cup of hot water gradually from the side of the vessel.
13. Once done, remove from stove and let them rest for 30 mins.
14. Now put them in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours before serving.
15. Serve chilled and enjoy.

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Notes

• Using milk with different fat content will yield different results. I used milk with 2 % fat.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 8
• Calories: 286
• Sugar: 58
• Sodium: 178
• Fat: 3
• Saturated Fat: 2
• Unsaturated Fat: 1
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 58
• Protein: 8
• Cholesterol: 13

Keywords: Komola Bhog Recipe