Rasgulla, Rasmalai, Chamcham: Meet the Chhena Family
Rasgulla, rasmalai and chamcham are all made from chhena. What sets each one apart, the famous rasgulla fight between Bengal and Odisha, and which to choose.
By Laxman Bikaner · · 3 min read
White, soft, sitting in syrup or milk, and gone in two bites. Rasgulla, rasmalai and chamcham look like they could be the same sweet in different moods. They're not, but they are family.
All three are made from chhena, milk curdled with a little acid and then kneaded smooth while it's still warm. (If that's new, read khoya vs chhena first.) What happens to the chhena next is what makes each one different. All three are on our counter at 100 Ft Road, Ballabgarh, so here's how to tell them apart.
Rasgulla: the original
Balls of chhena dough, cooked in a light sugar syrup until the syrup soaks right through. That's it. A good rasgulla is white, spongy, and springs back when you press it; squeeze it and the syrup runs out.
It's also the subject of one of India's longest-running sweet fights. Bengal credits Kolkata confectioner Nobin Chandra Das, who is believed to have introduced the spongy white rasgulla in 1868. Odisha says it's far older and began at the Jagannath Temple in Puri. Both states now hold a GI tag, Bengal for "Banglar Rasogolla" in 2017 and Odisha for "Odisha Rasagola" in 2019, and Odisha even celebrates 30 July as Rasagola Dibasa.
We're in Haryana, so we're staying out of it. Dono taraf ka rasgulla meetha hai.
Rasmalai: the rasgulla that went to a wedding
Rasmalai starts like a rasgulla, but the chhena is pressed into flat discs. They're cooked in syrup first, then lifted out and soaked in thickened, sweetened milk flavoured with kesar, elaichi and pista.
So instead of syrup you get a cool, rich, saffron-coloured milk around a soft disc. It's the richer, colder cousin, and the one people save for after a big meal.
Its origin is argued about too: K.C. Das in Kolkata is credited by some, while others point to Matri Bhandar in Comilla, now in Bangladesh. Either way, it's a Bengali sweet that the whole country adopted.
Chamcham: the colourful one
Chamcham (chomchom in Bengali) is chhena again, shaped into an oval and cooked in syrup, then usually finished with coconut or mawa flakes. It comes in light pink, light yellow and white, which is why it's often the brightest thing on the tray.
It traces back to Porabari in Tangail, in today's Bangladesh, in the mid-19th century. Compared with a rasgulla, a chamcham is usually a little denser and less syrupy, so it's easier to eat without a bowl.
Side by side
| Rasgulla | Rasmalai | Chamcham | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shape | Round ball | Flat disc | Oval |
| Sits in | Light sugar syrup | Saffron milk | Mostly drained, with a coating |
| Feel | Very spongy, juicy | Soft, creamy, cold | Denser, a little chewy |
| Good for | Anyone, any time | After dinner, special occasions | Mixed boxes, travelling short distances |
The chhena family at our counter
- Chhota Rasgulla₹300/ kg
- Sponge Rasgulla₹25/ pc
- Rasmalai₹90/ 2 pcs₹45/ pc
- Chamcham₹500/ kg
- Raj Bhog₹30/ pc
You'll also see a Raj Bhog on our counter, sold by the piece (the name means royal food), and the chamcham's khoya cousin, the Khoya Chamcham.
How to keep them
Chhena sweets are the most delicate mithai there is. Keep them in the fridge, in their syrup or milk, in a closed container. Eat rasmalai cold. Rasgulla is lovely either cold or at room temperature. And never pack any of them in the same box as dry sweets: one leaking rasgulla ruins a whole box of barfi.
नरम है, रसीला है, और दिल जीत लेता हैSee all our chhena sweets on the sweet shop menu, and if you're choosing between syrupy sweets, there's also gulab jamun vs kala jamun.
