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Balish mishti
Giant pillow-shaped chhana sweet
বালিশ মিষ্টি (balish mishti): Netrokona's giant pillow-shaped chhana sweet in syrup with thickened milk
BangladeshiBalish means pillow, and in Netrokona, in the north of Mymensingh division, this sweet is sold in sizes up to the length of a hand: a huge, soft, oblong chhana sweet cooked in syrup until golden and spongy, then smothered with a layer of thick, creamy reduced milk. A sweet-maker in the town created it in the early twentieth century and it is now the gift people bring to weddings and family visits in the region, sliced at the table and shared. The inside is soft and syrupy, the topping rich like clotted cream. Large chhana shapes crack open in the boiling syrup if the dough isn't kneaded long enough, which is the main thing that goes wrong, so take the full 10 minutes. Chef's tip: a spoon of plain flour in the chhana helps the big pillows hold their shape as they swell.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the chhana
- 10 ½ cups full-fat milk
- 5 tbsp lemon juicemixed with 5 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp plain flour
For the syrup
- 1 ½ lb sugar
- 7 ¼ cups waterplus extra hot water as needed
- 4 green cardamom podscrushed
For the milk topping
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- 2 tbsp sugar
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Bring 10 ½ cups full-fat milk to the boil, take off the heat for 1 minute and add 5 tbsp lemon juice gradually until the curds separate from clear whey.
10 minStep 2: Drain through muslin, rinse with cold water, squeeze and hang for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 3: Knead the chhana with 2 tbsp plain flour for 10 minutes until smooth and slightly greasy, then shape into 6 smooth, flat pillows about 8 × 5 cm, pressing out any cracks.
10 minStep 4: Bring 1 ½ lb sugar, 7 ¼ cups water and 4 green cardamom pods to a rolling boil in a wide, deep pan.
5 minStep 5: Slide in the pillows, cover and boil hard for 25 minutes; they will roughly double in size. Shake the pan instead of stirring.
25 minStep 6: Uncover and boil for 15–20 minutes more, adding hot water if the syrup gets too thick, until the sweets are pale golden and feel springy. Leave them to soak in the syrup for at least 1 hour.
20 minStep 7: Meanwhile, simmer 2 ½ cups whole milk in a wide pan, stirring often and scraping in the skin, for 35–40 minutes until reduced to about 200 ml and thick like custard; stir in 2 tbsp sugar and cool.
40 minStep 8: Lift the pillows out onto a dish, spoon a little syrup over, and cover each with a thick layer of the reduced milk. Serve chilled.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 82 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does balish mishti take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 50 minutes to prepare and 70 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of full-fat milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
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