How To Cook Chak-chak

2023 Author: Lucy Dunce | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 11:49

How to cook chak-chak

The Chak-Chak cake appeared for the first time among the nomadic peoples of Central Asia. It smoothed out something like this: before some holiday, nomads ravaged the hives of wild bees and extracted honey, made flour from wild-growing cereals and kneaded dough from flour and eggs. Pieces were torn off the dough and fried in a cauldron with lamb fat. Fried dough pieces were poured with wild honey and formed a slide. This is approximately how the first Chak-Chak cake was cooked.

Today Chak-chak is considered the national dessert of Tatarstan and Bashkiria; in many cities and villages, huge portions of chak-chak are still prepared by the bride's mother on the wedding day in order to “sell” it and get an even larger ransom for her daughter.

All guests are treated to chak-chak during wedding festivities, which, according to custom, last several days. There are differences in the recipes of the Tatar and Bashkir chak-chak, and in the European part of Russia, the hostesses have adapted the dish for themselves.

Tatar chak-chak

Ingredients:

Chicken egg - 4 pcs.

• Wheat flour - 500 g.
• Milk - 1/2 cup
• Sugar - 1 tbsp. l. + 1/2 cup
• Salt - a pinch
• Honey - 1 glass
• Vegetable oil for frying (olive, corn, sunflower)

Beat eggs with salt, add milk, a spoonful of sugar and gradually add flour, the dough will turn out to be tender, not steep. Leave the dough for 20-30 minutes, covered with plastic wrap or a bowl. Boil honey and sugar syrup until the latter is completely dissolved. Roll out the dough into thin layers, cut into long strips three centimeters wide, fold them on top of each other and cut across the noodles. The width can be from 0.5 to one centimeter. Heat oil in a saucepan or deep fryer, fry noodles in portions. During frying, the dough grows in size, becomes golden or creamy. Transfer the fried chak-chak to a sieve or colander, after the oil has drained into a large container. After frying the whole dough, pour the syrup over the finished chak-chak or stir gently to distribute the liquid evenly. Wet hands with cold waterin small portions, place the chak-chak on a dish greased with butter, pressing down a little and giving any shape.

Bashkir chak-chak

Ingredients:

Chicken egg - 6 pcs.

• Wheat flour - 3 cups
• Milk - 1/8 cup
• Vodka (cognac, brandy) - 2 tbsp. l.
• Sugar - 1 tbsp. l. + 1 glass
• Salt - a pinch
• Honey - 1 glass
• Vegetable or ghee for frying

Pour salt and sugar into the sifted flour, pour in milk, vodka and eggs, knead a soft dough. Let stand 15 minutes. Heat honey with sugar. Divide the dough into small pieces, roll into bundles, cut or pinch off small pieces from each and roll into balls or ovals. Deep-fry in small portions and make sure that the balls do not burst or deflate. Pour syrup over the finished chak-chak and form a round or square cake from it. When the mass has hardened, cut and serve.

Chak-chak with honey

Ingredients:

Chicken egg - 3 pcs.

• Wheat flour - 600 g.
• Vodka - 3 tbsp. l.
• Sugar - 1 tbsp. l. + 1/2 cup
• Poppy - 3 tbsp. l.
• Salt - a pinch
• Honey - 1 glass
• Vegetable oil for frying (olive, corn, sunflower)

Mix flour with yolks, salt, sugar and vodka. Beat the whites and add them to the dough, knead, the dough will be steep but elastic. Leave it covered for 15-20 minutes. Melt honey, add sugar and poppy seeds to it, boil. Roll out very thin cakes, cut into long thin noodles, deep-fry. Allow excess oil to drain and pour over syrup, stir. Put the chak-chak on a wide dish.

Many housewives improvise with decoration and additions to chak-chak. Nuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, candied fruits and dried fruits can be added both to the syrup and on top of the formed chak-chak. The dish stays fresh for a long time, thanks to the honey impregnation, and will delight you and your loved ones for more than one day.

More recipes can be found in our Recipes section.

Author: Victoria N. (specially for Calorizator.ru)

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