Look at them from a distance, and you would think Chhena Murki is just another mithai available at sweet shops, especially in Eastern India. They are usually square or round, bite-sized, and look like frosted delicacies. From its appearance, Chhena Murki looks like a piece of white or off-white snow that will melt in your mouth the moment you place one in your mouth. Far from it, because Chhena Murki is sweet and crunchy on the outside because of the sugar crystallization, and soft and chewy inside thanks to the consistency of Chhena. The best bit, it is invariably the easiest and quickest sweet dish in the country.
The origins of Chhena Murki are a bit cloudy at best. Popularly, it is known as a Bengali sweet because it resembles the Rasagulla—in looks alone, not taste. On the other hand, the sweet is believed by many to have been invented in Bhadrak, Odisha. Given that Chhena and Chhena-based sweets are found in abundance in the states of Bengal, Odisha and Bihar, this dispute on origins is hardly likely to be resolved. It’s enough to know that Chhena Murki is an effortless sweet dish invented in Eastern India, and the dish is now popular across the nation.
When I first tasted Chhena Murki, it was at a Bengali sweet shop in Asansol, West Bengal. I was just a kid whose uncle had taken all the little ones on a drive to the sweet shop for savoury snacks and any mishti we choose. Fascinated by the snowy white colour and size of the Chhena Murki, I picked it and got the first incredible taste of the dish. Once home, I told my grandmother and mother how much I loved it, and the former just smiled and asked if I want to eat more the next day. I thought this meant another fun trip to the sweet shop, but all she did was whip us some Chhena right then.
Lo and behold, I had Chhena Murki along with my breakfast the next day! That’s when I figured out—and later, my grandma did share how quick-and-easy the recipe was—that Chhena Murki is truly the easiest Indian sweet dish you can prepare. And yes, it’s even easier than making halwa! Chhena Murki is one of those sweet dishes you can whip up on short notice when you have guests coming over. Don’t believe me? Here’s the recipe from scratch.
Ingredients:
200 g homemade Chhena
1.5 cups sugar
2 cups water
¼ tsp cardamom powder
1 tbsp pistachios, chopped
1 tsp rose petals
Ghee, for frying
Method:
1. To make the syrup, place the water and sugar in a large pot.
2. Keep the flame on medium and keep stirring until the sugar dissolves.
3. Add the cardamom powder and cook the syrup until it reaches one-string consistency.
4. Heat ghee in another work.
5. Cut the Chhena in cubes and fry in the ghee.
6. Drain the Chhena from the ghee and soak it in the syrup for 5 minutes, then remove.
7. Let the Chhena Murki dry out so the sugar coating crystallizes before serving.
8. Garnish with pistachios and rose petals before serving.