Maha Shivratri has arrived and it is one of  the most significant festivals of the year in the Hindu calendar. Just like any other festival or occasion in India, this too is incomplete without sweetmeats and desserts. On the occasion of Maha Shivratri, I thought of preparing Nolen Gur ( date palm ) flavoured Kaacha Golla. Kaacha golla ( Kaacha meaning raw & golla meaning ball ) is an authentic Bengali sweet that originated in the Natore town of Bangladesh.These are soft sweet balls of fresh cottage cheese or chhena that  is prepared by kneading the pure chhena & blending  it well with any flavour of choice, usually done with either rose water, cardamom or date palm jaggery. Though there are as many great flavours of it  which will just steal your heart once you taste it. But I love this nolen gur version  than anything else and just can’t resist myself from making it when I have nolen gur in  my store.Since it requires no cooking or just minimal cooking, I found it as perfect for having them after my vrat or fast.

Hope you would be interested to know more about it. Here is my recipe for kaacha golla :

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1. Chhena / Cottage cheese ( freshly prepared ) : 250 g
2. Nolen gur ( date palm jaggery ) : 2 tbsp (solid) / 4-5 tbsp (liquid) if you aren’t adding any sugar.
3. Chopped Pistachio ( for garnishing)

Preparation:

1. Prepare Chhena by curdling full fat milk. ( For Chhena preparation, you may refer to my previous post “Kheer Tua” )
2. Knead your chhena well using your palm and fingers. Kacha Golla is all about kneading your chhena. So, the trick lies in how well you knead your chhena for super soft yummy Kaacha Gollas.
3. Add Nolen Gur and mix it well with chhena. If you are using solid Nolen Gur, then crush and mix it with the chhena nicely so that no granules are left or you may also use liquid Nolen gur / Jhola gur if you like.
4. Once we attain the smooth, non-grainy dough, take your kneaded chhena mixture in a pan over a low flame and keep stirring it continuously for just 3-5 minutes. (Note: Normally Chhena is not cooked for Kaacha Golla. However, I have cooked it slightly since my chhena was little wet and also I like the taste of slightly cooked chhena over raw chhena.
5. Turn off  the flame and remove from heat. Cool the mixture a little, & knead it slightly & roll the mixture into balls.
6. Garnish on top with chopped pistachio.
7. Your Kacha Gollas are ready to be served.