Kancha Golla, a beloved and classic Bengali soft sondesh (fudge), is made with fresh cottage cheese and either sugar or jaggery. Today, I'm sharing my version of this sweet treat, made with seasonal Patali Gur, or date palm jaggery.
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Debjani's Note
I've often promised myself to share more authentic recipes regularly, but between lacking patience and being pregnant, I haven't kept that promise as well as I'd like.
Now that my daughter is three months old, I'm excited to get back to blogging! I'm starting with a classic Bengali sweet called Kancha Golla, also known as Kacha Golla or Pran Hara in West Bengal.
Kancha Golla - a basic yet special sweet from Bengal
You'll find Kancha Golla in almost every sweet shop in Bengal, or any Bengali confectionery. It's a simple and classic Sondesh, and the best part? It's surprisingly easy to make at home!
Kancha Golla is a beloved sweet in both West Bengal and Bangladesh. It's made with "Channa," or cottage cheese, and sweetened with sugar, date palm jaggery (Notun/Nolen Gur), or a combination of both. My husband and I especially love the version made with jaggery. Since we live in Gurgaon, getting Nolen Gur isn't easy. I usually have to go to C R Park to find it, or my parents bring it from Kolkata.
Well, I always stock up on Nolen Gur each winter and keep it in the fridge. I love using it to make Bengali sweets throughout the year, even though it's only available during the winter season.
Recipe Tips
I use my grandmother's recipe, which she shared with me years ago. It uses fresh cottage cheese (Chana), cream, and Patali Gur. Of course, Patali Gur is seasonal, so feel free to substitute with sugar if needed. Keep in mind that as a family recipe, it may differ slightly from commercial versions, but I promise the taste is exceptional. Give it a try, and you'll see why I love it so much!
Recipe Card
Kancha Golla | Bengali Pranhara Sondesh
Ingredients
- 3 liters Full-cream Milk
- 3 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 200 ml Dudher Shor/ Fresh Cream/ Malai
- 250 g Khowa/ Mawa
- 300 g Patali Gur/ Date Palm Jaggery
Instructions
Making Fresh Channa / Chenna / Cottage Cheese at home
- Boil milk in a heavy-bottomed pot until it's reduced to about a third of its original volume.
- Mix lemon juice with a cup of water.
- Slowly pour this mixture into the milk, then cover the pot.
- Turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes.
- By this time, the milk should have curdled, separating the whey from the solids.
- Now, strain the whey using a cheesecloth.
- Gather the edges of the cheesecloth and tie them together.
- Place the chana-filled cheesecloth on a flat surface and weigh it down to remove as much moisture as possible.
Reduced Cream
- Next, let's prepare the reduced cream.
- Gently cook cream in a pan over low heat until it thickens and reduces.
- This should take about 10 minutes.
Assembling Kancha Golla
- Make a dust of the patali gur and then mix it with ½ cup water and boil to make a syrup.
- Knead the chana with your fingers until smooth.
- Take half of the chana and mix it with Patali gur syrup.
- Cook this mixture over low heat, then let it cool completely.
- Now, knead together the cooked chana mixture, the uncooked chana, and the reduced cream until you have a smooth, pliable dough. Shape the dough into small balls.
- Serve them at room temperature or chilled after refrigerating for a few hours.
Notes
- You can substitute the Gur with sugar, or use a combination of half Gur and half sugar.
- I like to use fresh, homemade malai, but if you don't have any, the thick part of packaged fresh cream works well too.
- Store Kancha Golla in the refrigerator and consume within 2 days of making.
Nutrition
Dessert recipes from Debjanir Rannaghar
- Chaler Payesh (also known as Bengali Rice Kheer)
- Choshir Payesh (also known as Chosi Payesh)
- Pancakes topped with Dulce de Leche and Fresh Fruits (Also known as Dulce de Leche Pancake)
- Double Chocolate Rum Balls (Also known as Rum Ball)
- Monohara (Also known as Monohara Sondesh)
- Baked Soan Papdi and Mishti Doi Cheesecake topped with Mini Gulab Jamun (Also known as Cheesecake prepared with Mishti Doi)
- Khejur Gurer Payesh (Also known as Bengali Rice Kheer with Date Palm Jaggery)
- Gujiya (Also known as Bengali ring-shaped sondesh)
- Nolen Gurer Sandesh (also known as Date Palm Fudge with cottage cheese)
- Gurer Narkel Naru (Also known as Bengali Narkel Naru/ Nariyal ki Laddu)
- Banoffee Panna Cotta with Cherry Compote (Also known as Banoffee Panna Cotta)
Have you tried the Kancha Golla recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar!
Please inform me of your experience, and feel free to send a photo to [email protected]. Additionally, you can find me on various social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, Google News, X, and Thread. Don't forget to use the hashtag #debjanirrannaghar when sharing your attempts at my recipes or if you have any questions or recipe requests.
Here's the Kancha Golla Pin for your Pinterest Board!
Kancha Golla Recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar was featured in Rediff Getahead.
About Debjani Chatterjee Alam
I am Debjani Chatterjee Alam. A CSR specialist by profession and a food writer, food blogger, and food photographer as well. I live in Kolkata along with my Husband Mehebub who is an architect by profession, my daughter Pasta, and also my dog daughters Coffee and Luchi.
babu choudhuri says
Superb