Bengali Chum Chum Recipe | Chom Chom Sweet Recipe | Malai Chum Chum Recipe ~ Spicy Treats' 4th Blog Anniversary!

Happy Pongal wishes to all my friends, readers and visitors and all who celebrate this special occasion. Pongal is a Harvest Festival and Thanks Giving day In India, that we thank God, Sun & Cattle for the years' Harvest. And its Thanks giving day for Spicy Treats too..yes., Spicy Treats turns 4 today. I am thankful to all who supported me all this 4 years, My family, My friends, My Blogger friends, readers and each and every visitor of my blog. Without your support and encouragement I would have not reach this level. Thanking from my bottom of heart and a small treat from my side with a Delicious Bengali Sweet, Chum Chum Recipe / Malai Chum Chum Recipe.

Chum Chum/Chom Chom is a popular Bengali Sweet that is similar to Rasgulla Preparation except the shape and serving method. Chum Chum are oval shaped sweet, rolled in coconut flakes.

I referred Nisha Madhulika ji's site and few other site for the recipe and tried it first time. To my surprise with the first attempt itself Chum Chum turned out good. Though it is not perfectly shaped, the taste was too good. Really soft, spongy and delicious. Now without further delay will move on to the recipe...

Chum Chum Recipe

Prep Time : 35 minutes | Cook Time : 15-20 minutes

Recipe Category : Sweets/Desserts

Makes  10 medium sized chum chum

Ingredients  

1. Milk  5 cup(full fat milk)
2. Lemon Juice   2 tbsp
3. Yellow Food Color   a pinch
4. Semolina/Rava/Sooji   1 tsp
5. Corn Starch   1 tsp

For Sugar Syrup

1. Sugar  1 and 1/2 cup
2. Water   3 cups

For Serving

1. Desiccated Coconut or Dried Coconut Powder   1-2 tbsp
2. Pistachios   3-4 tbsp(chopped or sliced)
3. Rabdi/Rabri   as needed

For Stuffing

1. Mawa   1/4 cup
2. Cardamom powder  a pinch
3. Powdered Sugar  2-3 tbsp
4. Pistachios   1 tbsp(thinly sliced)

Method

• First Prepare Chenna/Paneer 
• In a sauce pan, add milk and bring it to boil, when it starts boiling and frothy, add 2 tbsp yogurt and stir well.
• It will start curdling, keep stirring and after a minute interval add another 2 tbsp of lemon juice and keep stirring.
• Continue heating and stirring until milk completely curdles and you see the whey water separated.
• Then switch off the stove.
• Now take a cheese cloth and cover it over a large bowl, this is to collect the whey water.
• Immediately strain the paneer and wash the strained paneer once in running cold water(this is must to remove the lemon flavor) and squeeze the excess water completely. If you want you can let it hang for 20-30 minutes. 
• But i squeezed completely and started kneading the chenna/paneer instantly.
• Transfer the drained paneer to a wide bowl or plate, now it will look crumble like texture.
• Now start kneading it to a smooth and soft dough for 6-7 minutes. It should form a soft and smooth dough.
• Then divide the chenna/paneer into 10 medium sized balls and roll between your palms with little pressure and make a smooth round ball and shape it to oval shape.
• After that in a sauce pan, add sugar and water stir well and bring it to boil.
• Once it started boiling, turn the heat to medium and boil for another 2-3 minutes
• and then add the shaped chum chum and cook it in medium heat for 10 minutes with lid closed.
• After 10 minutes turn chum chum to other side and cook for another 7 to 8 minutes or until chum chum floats and doubled in size with porous texture.
• Once done, switch off the stove and let it rest in the pan for another 3-4 minutes.
• And then remove it from the sugar syrup using a slotted spoon and press it gently with back of another wooden spatula to squeeze excess syrup.
• And arrange the chum chum on plate and allow to cool completely.
• After cooling, roll chum chum in coconut powder, top it with pistachios and serve Chilled.
• Or you mix the stuffing ingredients together and stuff chum chum and serve chilled.
• To Stuff chum chum - Take one piece at a time, make a slit in the center and fill it with stuffing and roll it in coconut powder.
• For Malai Chum Chum
• Just serve Chum chum with rabdi on top.

Note:
Kneading chenna/paneer is must, the crumbled texture should be changed to smooth and soft texture by kneading.
Do not hung it for long time or press it with weight for long time, You need chenna with little moisutre for making Chum Chum.
If using cheese cloth or muslin cloth no need to hung, just squeeze it completely and drain all excess water.
This time I used Whey Water from previous day Paneer and little bit of lemon juice for curdling.
Adding color powder is optional, you can make it without color also.
I did not stuff it with mawa, rather stuffed with nuts & coconut flakes and served with Rabdi.
You can also use All purpose flour/maida instead of corn starch. But corn starch worked well.
If your chenna is too dry sprinkle little water and knead well.