🍮 Chongos zamoranos
Chongos zamoranos are a Mexican dessert of milk set with rennet into soft curds, which are then cut and slowly simmered in their own whey with sugar and cinnamon sticks. The curds turn springy and slightly squeaky, floating in a sweet, cinnamon-scented syrup. They are served at room temperature or chilled, in small bowls with some of the syrup.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 litres whole milk
- 250 g sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- Rennet (liquid or tablet), as directed on the pack, dissolved in 2 tbsp water
Method
- Warm the milk to about 35 °C, stir in the rennet, cover and leave undisturbed for 1 hour until set.
- Cut the curd into large squares with a knife, still in the pot.
- Insert pieces of cinnamon stick into the curds and sprinkle the sugar evenly over the top.
- Cook on the lowest heat, without stirring, for 2–3 hours until the whey turns into a light amber syrup.
- Cool, then serve the curds with some of the syrup.
How to make it lighter
- Serve a small bowl of about 120 g with only a spoonful of syrup — most of the sugar is in the syrup.
- Use semi-skimmed milk; the curds set slightly softer but still hold.
- Reduce the sugar to 180 g and lean on extra cinnamon for flavour.
History
The dessert is named after Zamora in Michoacán, and its origin is usually placed in the convent kitchens of the colonial period. Today chongos are made at home and sold in jars across Mexico.
Count it in one photo
Point your camera at the table — Me Nutrition recognises Chongos zamoranos and every other dish, with calories and macros for each. Ate only half? Slide it.
Download on the App StoreSimilar dishes
Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →