AI-generated image
Malai chop (chhana dumplings filled with sweet malai)
Split syrup-soaked chhana dumplings sandwiched with thick sweet malai
Malai chop is a sweet-shop showpiece in Dhaka and Kolkata, bought by the box for weddings, Eid visits, Durga Puja and the arrival of guests. Soft chhana (fresh milk curd) is kneaded, shaped into ovals and boiled in sugar syrup until spongy, then each one is split and filled with thick, sweet reduced-milk malai and topped with pistachios. They're juicy, light and creamy, best served cold, two to a plate. It's naturally egg-free: well-kneaded chhana holds itself together, a little cornflour helps it bind, and the long-reduced milk thickens the filling without any custard. Chef's tip: squeeze the chhana until it's moist but not wet and knead it until your palm feels greasy; chhana that's too wet is the common mistake that makes the dumplings fall apart in the syrup.
- Total time
- 190 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the chhana
- 6 ¼ cups full-fat milk
- 3 tbsp lemon juicemixed with 45 ml water
- 1 tsp cornflour
For the syrup
- 14 oz sugar
- 4 ¼ cups water
For the malai
- 2 cups full-fat milk
- 1 ⅜ oz sugar
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
To garnish
- ½ oz pistachios (optional)finely chopped
- 1 pinch saffron threads (optional)
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (2)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/11 doneStep 1: Bring 6 ¼ cups full-fat milk to the boil in a large pan, turn off the heat and wait 1 minute. Add 3 tbsp lemon juice a spoonful at a time, stirring gently, until the milk splits into white curds and clear greenish whey.
10 minStep 2: Pour into a muslin-lined colander, rinse under cold water to remove the lemon taste, then gather the cloth and hang for 30 minutes, until moist but no longer dripping.
30 minStep 3: For the malai, simmer 2 cups full-fat milk in a wide pan over a medium heat, stirring and scraping, for 30–35 minutes, until reduced to a thick, spreadable paste of about 150 g.
35 minStep 4: Stir in 1 ⅜ oz sugar and ¼ tsp ground cardamom and cook for 2 minutes more, until it pulls away from the pan. Cool, then chill.
2 minStep 5: Tip the chhana onto a clean worktop with 1 tsp cornflour and knead with the heel of your hand for 8–10 minutes, until smooth and your palm feels greasy.
10 minStep 6: Divide into 12 and roll each into a smooth, crack-free oval about 5 cm long.
Step 7: Bring 14 oz sugar and 4 ¼ cups water to a rolling boil in a wide pan with a lid, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
5 minStep 8: Drop in the ovals, cover and boil hard for 15–18 minutes, until they have doubled in size and sink in a glass of water. Keep the syrup at a rolling boil; add a splash of hot water if it gets thick.
18 minStep 9: Turn off the heat and leave them in the syrup until cool, then chill for 1 hour.
60 minStep 10: Lift each out, press very gently to remove excess syrup, and slit lengthwise without cutting all the way through.
Step 11: Spread a spoonful of malai inside each, close lightly, and top with ½ oz pistachios and 1 pinch saffron threads if using. Serve cold.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does malai chop (chhana dumplings filled with sweet malai) take?
- About 190 minutes in total: 120 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.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- 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.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Doi chiraFlattened rice with curd
Nothing is cooked for doi chira, which is why it has been the breakfast of farmers and fishermen in Barisal for generations: flattened rice is rinsed, softened in thick, slightly sour curd and sweetened with jaggery or sugar, then mashed together with a ripe banana. The texture is soft and creamy with a little chew from the rice flakes, and the taste is cool, sweet and tangy. It is eaten on hot summer mornings, at village fairs and as part of the Pohela Boishakh spread, and it is a favourite of children and of anyone fasting who wants something gentle. The usual misstep is soaking the chira for too long, which turns it to paste; a quick rinse is all it needs before the curd does the rest. Chef's tip: use thick-cut chira, not the thin kind for frying, so the flakes hold their shape.
MuscatSemolina milk sweet
Walk past the Muslim sweet shops of Pettah in Colombo or the old trading streets of Beruwala before Eid and you will see trays of muscat, dense, jewel-like diamonds that are glossy with ghee and studded with cashews. The texture is the whole appeal: firm and chewy, almost like a soft Turkish delight, with a sweet, buttery, cardamom-scented flavour, and it is shared with neighbours at Eid, weddings and the Avurudu table. Traditional cooks extract the starch from wheat flour; this home version soaks and blends semolina, then strains it, which gives the same clear, bouncy set. Most failures come from adding the ghee too quickly, so it pools on top instead of being absorbed; pour it in a spoonful at a time and keep stirring. Chef's tip: the muscat is done when it rolls into a single glossy mass that leaves the pan clean and the ghee starts to seep back out at the edges.
Sri Lankan
KhurmiWheat and jaggery biscuits
Khurmi are the sweet half of Chhattisgarh's Teeja-Pola festival snacks, made in big batches alongside the salty thethri. The dough is wheat flour and a little semolina bound with melted jaggery, studded with sesame and coconut, then cut into diamonds or pressed into small patterned shapes and fried until dark gold. They have a hard, crunchy bite and a deep caramel flavour, and they last for weeks in a steel dabba, ready for visitors and children back from school. Chef's tip: cool the jaggery water to lukewarm before kneading; hot jaggery makes a slack dough that spreads and soaks up oil.
Indian