Secrets of making Mongolian sweets chak-chak

It’s hard to imagine a Mongolian holiday without the sweetness chak-chak, which is baked pieces of dough soaked in honey. This delicious crispy dessert melts in your mouth, it’s simply impossible to tear yourself away from it! In Mongolian families, even teenage girls knew how to cook this wonderful and unique delicacy. We invite you to put on your aprons and go to the kitchen to prepare chak-chak!

History and legends

This dish is prepared with pleasure not only by Mongolian, but also by Bashkir, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Kazakh and Uzbek housewives. The history of the dessert is not connected with any unusual facts. It’s just that in those days, flour products and honey were the most affordable products, but they were used to make truly royal desserts! Although there is a legend that at one point the Bulgarian khan asked his own chefs to come up with a delicacy that would be simple to prepare, tasty, nutritious and wonderful - such that overseas guests would admire and want to get the recipe. And the chefs succeeded! A large chak-chak was served at the wedding of the khan's son, wishing the newlyweds to become a family as strong as peas of dough glued together with honey. From that time on, this dish became a wedding dish!

Chak-chak was prepared by the whole family, or rather, by the female half. Unmarried girls rolled out and cut the dough, married ladies fried the pieces, and the most experienced old housewives shaped the sweets and made honey syrup. According to tradition, chak-chak was piled up on a platter or made into small shapes. The delicacy can be stored for up to 3 weeks, so it was constantly prepared for future use, but it was naturally eaten much more quickly.

Secrets of savory dough

The dessert is prepared from dough mixed with premium wheat flour, eggs, milk, sugar, vegetable or ghee. From time to time, a pinch of salt, baking powder or soda is added to the ingredients; however, the soda can be extinguished with vinegar. Instead of milk, vegetable oil is often poured in, sometimes in a consistency with butter, and some oriental recipes also include vodka. The dough doesn't have to be stiff. Eastern housewives are convinced that the softer and more tender it is, the tastier the dish will be, which is why sometimes the flour is sifted twice. Cooking chak-chak is a whole science. Or maybe art?

Let's cook chak-chak together.

eggs - 3 pcs.
sugar - 1 tbsp. l.
salt - a pinch
baking powder - 1 tsp.
milk - 3 tbsp. l.
flour - 300–450 g

Take 3 eggs and start beating them using a mixer. Add 1 tbsp to them. l. sugar, a pinch of salt, 1 tsp. baking powder and 3 tbsp. l. milk. Then mix the ingredients and add flour in small portions - about 300-450 g, the amount depends on the size of the eggs. It is necessary to knead until the dough becomes elastic, but it should slightly stick to your hands. If you have time, let the dough lie under a towel or napkin - let it rest a little!

Deep-fried cubes

Sprinkle a little flour on the table and roll out the dough into a narrow flat cake approximately 2 mm wide. Using a sharp knife, we cut long strips 1 cm wide, and later we divide them into several parts, about 4 cm long. These careful sticks, reminiscent of French fries, are ready for frying. The bars can be made shorter, or you can transform them into small cubes or balls the size of a pine nut. Some pastry chefs use a curly knife to create wavy shapes.

All that remains is to deep-fry the chak-chak. To do this, pour more vegetable oil into a deep frying pan or thick-bottomed pan, heat it and add pieces of dough in portions. Fry until golden brown, stirring so that the chak-chak does not turn into a sticky mass. Approximate frying time is 2-3 minutes. Remove the pieces with a slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel to remove excess fat. Oriental sweets do not have to be very nutritious and heavy on the stomach.

Honey impregnation

At the end of the previous step of making chak-chak, you can already put an end to it. The deep-fried dough is very tasty, and if you make tea or coffee, you can enjoy the fragrant oriental dessert. But we must finish what we started and amaze our family with our culinary capabilities, so we continue!

The most common honey syrup will require us to have only two products (although there are different recipes):

honey - 130 ml
sugar - 120 g

For the syrup we mix honey and sugar. First, bring the syrup to a boil, and then cook for another 5-7 minutes. Some confectioners combine water with sugar and honey, cook for 5 minutes, and then drop a little syrup into cool water. If a ball comes out, it’s time to remove the pan from the heat.

Pour honey over the chak-chak, mix well and form a mound on a plate with wet hands. You can decorate the treat with nuts, sesame seeds or dried fruits. Next, we put the dessert in the refrigerator for several hours and get ready for tea, if, of course, you have enough patience...

Almost "Anthill"

Chuck-chuck with condensed milk is also a real chuck-chuck, and don’t let the lack of honey bother you. But we will add vodka to the dough so that the sweetness comes out crispy.

The following products will be useful for you:

eggs - 3 pcs.
vodka - 3 tbsp. l.
salt - a pinch
flour - 300 g
vegetable oil - 1 cup
condensed milk - 4 tbsp. l.
almonds - to taste
sweet powder for decoration

So, beat 3 eggs with a pinch of salt, pour in 3 tbsp. l. vodka and mix. Pour 300 g of sifted flour into the mixture and knead the dough, and then let it rest under a towel for 30 minutes.

Roll out the layer 1–2 mm wide and cut into strips. Heat a glass of vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry portions of chak-chak, and later transfer it to a sieve to remove fat.

Pour condensed milk over the pieces placed in a bowl. Add almonds, mix the sweet pieces, form a mound with wet hands directly on the tray and put it in the refrigerator. Before serving, you can decorate the dessert with sweet powder. You will like this wonderful recipe for homemade chak-chak, as it is slightly reminiscent of the Anthill cake. Although no - the dessert turns out even better!

Eastern spectrum

“There is nothing better than chak-chak with nuts and dried fruits! This is the best oriental delicacy!” — these are the exact phrases you can hear from Asian sweet tooths. Let's prepare chak-chak at home and be sure to use these tasty and healthy additives.

To make dessert, let's take:

eggs - 3 pcs.
salt - a pinch
flour - by eye
honey - 5 tbsp. l.
nuts, dried apricots, prunes, raisins - to taste

Beat 3 eggs in a bowl with a pinch of salt, and then knead the dough directly with your hands, adding as much flour as necessary. In this chak-chak recipe there will be no clear numbers on how much flour to add directly - we will have to strain our culinary intuition and knead a soft dough that will simply roll out. Naturally, it must first rest for 20 minutes under a napkin, and only later can it be rolled out into a narrow layer.

We cut strips 2-3 cm wide and cut them like noodles. Heat the vegetable oil in a cauldron, fry the chak-chak until rich golden brown and place it in a colander with small holes so that not a drop of oil remains.

To serve a wonderful portioned “cake,” prepare the molds in advance by greasing them with vegetable oil. Place the pieces of dough in a bowl, mix with chopped nuts and dried fruits, and then pour in 5 tbsp. l. warmed watery honey. Mix all the ingredients again, put them in molds and put them in the refrigerator for half an hour. This is completely enough to have time to prepare for tea and invite loved ones to the table. They will be pleasantly surprised!

Orange delight

Chak-chak becomes catchy and unusual if you add orange juice to the honey syrup. Citrus fruits add freshness and a subtle aroma to the dessert, and if you take black aromatic honey, you get a true oriental delicacy. Let's try to make a delicious chak-chak using this recipe!

eggs - 2 pcs.
yolks - 3 pcs.
milk - 3 tbsp. l.
flour - 450 g
sugar - 300 g
honey - 150 g
orange juice – 120 ml
raisins - to taste

Mix the eggs, yolks and milk until smooth, and then add the flour in small portions. Knead the dough into a soft and elastic dough, wrap it in cling film and leave for 15 minutes. Divide into several parts and roll each into a narrow layer. We cut strips 3–5 cm wide, and later again cut narrow “noodles” 3 mm wide.

Next, fry the dough in a large amount of vegetable oil until golden brown and transfer the chak-chak with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to get rid of excess fat.

Now let's start making honey-orange syrup. Squeeze the juice of 1 orange, and then mix it with honey and sugar in a thick-bottomed bowl. Bring to a boil, cook for 5–6 minutes.

Mix the dough pieces with the syrup, add raisins to taste and mix well. With wet hands, form balls from the chak-chak, place the chak-chak on a dish or mesh and leave in the cold until the dessert hardens.

Imagine, in Kazan there is the only chak-chak museum in the world, where you can find out everything about this dish, see the famous delicacy and even eat it. They say that only there you can find out the forgotten culinary secrets of making chak-chak, which are still passed down from generation to generation in Mongolian families...

Chuck-chak in Tatar (large)

Ingredients

Sugar – 1 glass

Oil – for deep frying

344 kcal
45 min.
45 min.

Photo of the finished dish

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Video recipe: Tatar-style chuk-chak (large)

Step-by-step recipe with photos and videos

Chak-chak in Tatar is associated with a pile of golden nuts, which not only amuse the eye, but also have a great taste. Mongolian chak-chak is prepared from premium flour and eggs, then deep-fried, poured with hot honey syrup and laid out in a mound. This dessert is suitable for large groups: it is simple and quick to prepare, it is filling and very tasty. You can serve it with whatever your heart desires: tea, milk, compote. But HOW to create a real oriental sweet at home, I will now try to carefully outline for you. It's pretty simple. I think that if you follow all the manufacturing steps, everything will work out.

To make Tatar-style chak-chak (large), prepare the necessary ingredients according to the list.

Beat the freshest chilled chicken eggs into a deep bowl. Add salt, baking soda and half a portion of sugar.

Beat everything thoroughly. The mass should become airy and homogeneous. You can use a mixer or create it manually.

Sift the wheat flour and add it into the dough in parts. Slowly, carefully knead the dough after adding the next portion.

Chuck-chuck that melts in your mouth

“Chak-chak” in Tatar, according to established tradition, is made for a holiday. But modernity makes its own adjustments, and the most delicious fragrant sweetness appears as a dessert or addition to tea on a weekday. If you have never tried this delicacy, then be sure to use the recipe below and prepare it. Treat yourself and your loved ones. Chuck-chuck can be of various shapes.

Its taste is delicate, with creamy notes complemented by the taste of honey. The main distinguishing feature of this sweet is that it can be stored for more than a month, so it can be safely prepared in large quantities. Our step-by-step recipe with photos will help you understand the manufacturing process and prepare a delicious Tatar-style chak-chak.

Production time: 50 minutes.

Yield: 6-8 servings.

Ingredients:

chicken egg - 4 pcs.;
table salt - 1 pinch;
wheat flour -300-400g;
honey of any kind to your taste - 150g;
sweet sand -150g;
refined vegetable oil -300-400ml;

How to cook chak-chak in Tatar style

Drive chicken eggs into the deep container in which we will knead the dough. Add salt and 50 g of sweet sand to them.

Mix everything well until smooth.

Add flour evenly in portions.

Knead the dough, first in a container, then put it on the work surface and knead it well. The dough should become quite stiff; it should not stick to the surface.

Wrap the finished dough in cling film and leave for 20 minutes.

When the dough has rested, take a small amount from it and roll it into a crushed pancake, about 2 ml.

Using a sharp knife, cut the test pancake into strips, about 1-2 cm wide.

We twist each strip so that a flagellum comes out.

Next, cut the resulting flagella into sticks; choose the length according to your preferences.

Pour vegetable oil into a deep frying pan, saucepan or saucepan. Heat to the highest temperature. Reduce heat to moderate and place pieces of dough into it.

Fry the dough until golden brown on all sides.

Place in a deep container. You can place pieces of fried dough on a paper napkin, but this is not necessary.

Combine sweet sand with honey in one pan and put on fire.

Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.

Pour the resulting syrup over the pieces of fried dough. Mix well.

Let cool slightly and transfer to a plate in heaps.

As a standard, “Chak-chak” should be brewed for two days. Only after this does it acquire the taste of a real “ripe” dish. But, if you start eating it immediately after making it, or several hours after making it, then the dish will also have an amazing taste. Bon appetit!

How to cook Chak-chak in Tatar style: recipe with photo

Chak-chak is a delicacy that is considered state among the Tatars. They are supposed to greet and treat all guests. A sort of sign of Mongolian hospitality, like, for example, Russian bread and salt. But this dessert is also loved by other peoples. It is prepared with pleasure in various countries. Making such a dish is quite labor-intensive, but not particularly cheap.

Naturally, you can buy such a dessert in a store, but you should try it by preparing it yourself, because you can literally say that all the products used are natural and one hundred percent free of additives and various flavor enhancers. There are a huge number of options and recipes for making Tatar-style chak-chak; each one has differences in products and even in form. By the way, the shape of chak-chak depends on the area where it is prepared. This article will describe several with photos step by step. First recipe, real Mongolian sweets.

Chak-chak in Tatar

Ingredients:

testicle – 6 pieces;
milk - 4 tablespoons;
sugar – 2 tablespoons;
flour – 420 gr;
soda – 1 teaspoon;
apple or rice vinegar – 1 tablespoon;
salt – 1⁄4 teaspoon;
sunflower oil – 300-400 ml;
melted butter – 20-25 gr.

Syrup for chak-chak:

honey – 100 g;
sugar – 100 gr.

Manufacturing:

Separate the whites from the yolks of 3 eggs, break the other three into a separate bowl. Place 3 eggs and 3 yolks in a mixer cup or a regular one. Then pour in sugar, soda, salt and milk. Beat thoroughly until the mixture becomes homogeneous and fluffy.

Add vinegar and use a silicone spatula to knead the mixture. Add flour evenly until the dough mixture is still sticky to your hands, but already holds its shape. Pour the remaining flour onto a work surface, where the dough will be rolled out and kneaded.

Knead the dough. You can finish this step when the flour is one hundred percent absorbed. Place the purchased dough in cellophane for about half an hour. While it is resting, pour sunflower oil and ghee into a small ladle or cauldron.

Place a napkin in a colander. Take out the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Lightly flour the board and roll out the dough. The thickness should be 1.5 - 2 mm. Cut the dough into strips, their width should be 3.5-4 centimeters. Afterwards, cut each strip into a width of 1.5 - 2 mm. Such manipulations must be done with each piece of dough.

Fry the dough in small batches in hot oil. The sticks must be stirred constantly so that they do not stick together. After they have browned, take them out with a saucepan and place them in a colander lined with a cardboard towel. This is necessary so that excess oil is removed. And do this with each batch.

It is best to prepare a springform form; it will be more convenient to remove the finished chak-chak from it. Cover it with a silicone mat or baking paper and grease it with butter.

Pour honey into the ladle; if it is very thick, then dilute it with water and put it on gas. Add sugar to honey and stir until sugar is one hundred percent dissolved. Divide the finished dough into two parts and pour honey syrup over one, then mix it immediately so that the pouring is distributed moderately.

Place in the prepared mold and after wetting your hands in cool water, the chak-chak should be compacted over the entire surface of the mold. Prepare the syrup for the 2nd batch of chak-chak and follow the same steps as with the first batch.

Chuck-chuck stop soaking, it will take about a couple of hours. During this period of time, the delicacy will be one hundred percent saturated and ready for consumption. After the wall, separate the chak-chak from the mold and turn it over onto a plate, then remove the parchment paper.

This is a recipe for regular Tatar-style chak-chak without vodka. In the following recipe, certain ingredients will be excluded. It will turn out no less tasty than the recipe described above, but less nutritious, because there will be slightly less sugar. But the following recipe for Tatar-style chuk-chak with photos will contain vodka step by step.

Chuck-chuck in Tatar style with vodka

Ingredients:

flour – 400 gr;
testicle – 2 pieces;
vodka – 2 tablespoons;
salt - a pinch;
honey – 0.5 cups;
sugar – 1/3 cup;
oil for frying – 300 – ml.

Manufacturing:

The dough is prepared quite simply, it has the name egg. It is the same as for egg noodles. Using a whisk or mixer, beat the eggs until fluffy, add salt to the eggs and pour in vodka. Beat everything well and add flour evenly.
Knead the dough, it should turn out dense and at the same time soft. The main thing is that it just rolls out.
Wrap the dough in cellophane or cover with a cup and let it rest for a while. The time needed is approximately half an hour to an hour.
Divide the dough into 3-4 equal parts and roll out so that its thickness is approximately 2 mm.
Let it dry a little, and then the regime is based on your own taste preferences. You can create small rounds, you can cut them into something like noodles or even into squares. As fantasy allows.
Heat oil in a cauldron or ladle and fry the dough in small portions. It must be stirred constantly, otherwise it will stick together. It takes approximately 1.5-2 minutes to fry.
Next, as in the previous recipe, place the finished dough on a paper towel, allowing the excess oil to drain off.
Pour honey into a ladle or other aluminum container and put it on a slow fire, heat it until watery and pour out the sugar. Stir constantly until the sugar dissolves. It is not allowed to allow the syrup to burn, otherwise the chak-chak will have a bitter taste of burnt sugar. It takes approximately 3 minutes for the syrup to be ready. If the syrup is left too long, it will stick unpleasantly to your teeth.
We do the other steps as in the previous recipe, put the finished chak-chak in the mold, compact it and let it brew.

In any of the Tatar chuk-chak recipes with photos, you can add nuts after roasting them, or raisins and dried apricots. Rely on your taste preferences. By adding dried fruits or other similar goods, the chak-chak will only become tastier and acquire its own typical color.