Cham Cham Sweet Recipe | Bengali Chum Chum Recipe

Cham Cham, additionally spelled as Chum Chum is likely one of the most traditional sweets from Bengal. So, there, it may also be pronounced as Chom Chom. The phrase ‘chum’ additionally means an in depth pal. And that’s what this Cham Cham Candy might be. When you get to strive it, you’d undoubtedly kind a pleasant bond with it! This candy is simple to arrange, however does take a while and the process resembles that of constructing a Rasgulla. This recipe demonstrates a stuffed variation. However you’ll be able to relish it in any other case too.

What’s cham cham

As talked about to start with, Cham Cham, common domestically as Chom Chom is one other mishti (candy) that Bengalis take satisfaction in. And to be sincere, it truly is a fab one. Mainly, a milk-based preparation, the principle elements of Cham Cham Candy embrace curdled milk (chhena), all-purpose flour and sugar.

Milk is curdled to get chenna or coagulated milk solids. This chenna is additional kneaded after which formed in cylindrical or rectangular items, that are then cooked in sugar syrup.

There are a lot of Chom Chom variations which may be stuffed, like my recipe right here and even plain flavored with essences, spice powders, and so forth. It is usually not necessary for this specific candy to be merely white in coloration.

So, chances are you’ll discover others in shades of sunshine yellow, gentle pink, gentle orange, and so forth. This mithai (candy) could or is probably not lined with coconut and even khoya, which normally kinds the garnish. It’s undoubtedly the closest cousin of the opposite Bengali favourite, the rasgulla.

If you make sweets like cham cham or Rasgulla, what one appears to be like for is sponginess, softness and smoothness within the texture. I’m sharing some incessantly requested questions together with ideas so to make completely superior cham cham candy in your individual kitchen.

I’ve compiled the questions from feedback obtained from the opposite chenna based mostly sweets (as the tactic of constructing these is comparable) shared on weblog.

Faq for cham cham recipe

1. What needs to be the standard of milk?
Whereas making chenna based mostly candy like cham cham, rasgulla or sandesh, all the time use full fats complete milk. You possibly can even use pasteurised milk. Additionally guarantee that the milk is contemporary and is in its shelf interval. Keep away from utilizing toned milk or skimmed milk.

2. Easy methods to gauge the proper moisture within the chenna?
The right steadiness of moisture may be very essential to get the correct texture in cham cham or a rasgulla. If there’s an excessive amount of of water or moisture within the chenna, the cham cham will break or disintegrate whereas cooking. Too much less moisture, then the cham cham will turn into dense or shrunk or flatten after cooking and cooling.

• You possibly can simply test the moisture content material in chenna whereas kneading it. while you knead chenna, in the event you see that it’s too moist or watery, then it means there’s extra water. Add a little bit of extra maida (all objective flour) in order that it absorbs the additional moisture. You possibly can maintain a heavy weight on the chenna in order that a few of the water or whey reduces.
• If when kneading, in the event you see the chenna dry and crumbly, then there’s much less moisture. Sprinkle 1 to 2 teaspoons of water to make the chenna barely moist. The moisture helps in binding and makes mushy cham cham, however on the similar time, there shouldn’t be an excessive amount of of moisture or water within the chenna.

3. For a way lengthy chenna must be kneaded?
The time taken for kneading chenna is determined by the power and strain utilized by the palms. Nevertheless as a benchmark, cease kneading when your palms turn into a bit greasy. 

Whereas kneading, some fats from the chenna is launched. So your palms should turn into a bit greasy when kneading. At this step cease kneading and form chenna into chum chum. Knead chenna to a clean massive ball and it ought to be capable to come collectively with out breaking or falling aside.

4. Does the sugar syrup has any string consistency?
The sugar syrup for cham cham doesn’t have any string consistency like 1 string or 2 strings and so forth. Its a watery sugar syrup. Because it watery, the cham cham absorbs the sugar syrup and tastes candy.

5. Why has cham cham flattened or shrunk?
When cooking cham cham, all the time use a big pan sufficient for all of the cham cham items to accomodate and broaden when cooking. Don’t stir with a spoon or ladle because the chum chum can break. Its higher to make use of a pan with handles on the sides, so to shake the pan by holding the handles and swirling the pan gently. If the chenna is dry, then additionally the cham cham can get shrunk or flattened.

6. Easy methods to test if the cham cham is cooked?
Firstly the cham cham broaden in dimension whereas cooking. General the cooking time varies from 8 to 12 minutes. The time variations are because of the dimension of the cham cham, the standard and kind of pan, flame depth and so forth.

So after 8 to 10 minutes, you’ll be able to take away a cham cham piece and place it in a mug or bowl of water. If the chom chom settles on the backside, its cooked. If it floats on the floor of water, its undercooked.

7. Why has cham cham turn into rubbery?
If the cham cham items are cooked an excessive amount of, they’ll find yourself turning into dense and rubbery. So don’t overcook them.

8. Can I make coloured cham cham?
In fact you’ll be able to. Coloured cham cham additionally enchantment to youngsters. If utilizing any coloring ingredient, I’d counsel to make use of pure coloration extract. So add the pure coloration extract within the chenna whereas kneading, to get coloured cham cham candy. You possibly can divide the chenna in two or three parts to get 2 to three coloured styles of chum chum.

9. Is the candy filling important?
No, making the candy filling shouldn’t be important. You possibly can skip it utterly. Additionally rolling chum chum in desiccated coconut is non-compulsory and could be skipped.

Step-by-Step Information

Easy methods to make Cham Cham Candy Recipe

Making chenna for cham cham recipe

1. Take 1 litre of milk in a pan and maintain it to boil on a low to medium flame. Stir at intervals when the milk begins to get heated.

2. When the milk involves a boil, you will note a layer of malai or clotted cream which kinds on prime. Take away this layer of malai. You’re going to get about 2 to three tablespoons of malai. Maintain this malai apart. We might be utilizing this malai to make the candy filling for cham cham.

3. Let the milk come to a rolling boil. Change off flame when milk involves a rolling boil.

4. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice. You possibly can even add 1 or 3 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice. The quantity to be added will rely on the standard of milk.

5. Combine very effectively and let milk curdle.

6. Anticipate 4 to five minutes and let the warmth scale back a bit. then pressure by way of muslin lined on a prime of a bowl or pan.

7. Deliver the sides of the muslin collectively, straining all of the whey. Watch out as each the chenna and whey might be scorching.

8. Rinse the chenna very effectively in working water. This removes the lemony taste and tangy style from the chenna. Then gently queeze the muslin together with your arms, in order that any additional water is drained from the chenna.

Bear in mind there shouldn’t be extra water or moisture within the chenna as then the cham cham will break when cooking.

9. Maintain a heavy weighted bowl or mortar-pestle on the chenna for 8 to 10 minutes.

10. After 8 to 10 minutes take away the chenna from the muslin. Place on a tray or a plate. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon maida or all objective flour. You possibly can even add 1 teaspoon rava or corn flour as a substitute of maida.

11. Combine and start to knead this combination. Mash chenna with the heels of your palms and knead. Additionally carry on amassing the chenna from the perimeters and proceed to mash and knead. Knead very effectively until a little bit of greasiness is felt in your palms. Only a little bit of greasiness is required. Don’t knead until the entire chenna turns into greasy.

If the combination appears to be like dry and crumby then sprinkle some water – about 1 to three teaspoons or extra and proceed to knead. the chenna combination ought to be capable to come collectively with out breaking or falling aside. For a dry chenna, a little bit of moisture helps in binding the combination.

12. Knead chenna to a clean massive ball.

13. Then form right into a log and reduce in equal items. You possibly can even make small balls from the kneaded chenna.

14. Take each bit and roll them between your palms to a clean cylindrical or rectangular form.

15. Pinch the sides.

16. Make rectangular formed cham cham with all of the items.

17. Maintain them lined with a moist muslin fabric.

Making sugar syrup for chum chum

18. Take 2 heaped cups sugar (400 grams) in a big pan. Please use a big pot or pan with handles, so that there’s sufficient house for the cham cham to prepare dinner and enhance in dimension.

I used a 3.4 litre chrome steel pan measuring 8.5 inches in diameter and 4.5 inches in top.

19. Pour 4 cups water (1 litre) within the pan.

20. Place the pan on a medium-low to medium flame. With a spoon stir continuous and blend so that every one the sugar is dissolved.

21. When all of the sugar is dissolved, take away 1 cup of sugar resolution and maintain it apart.

22. Then let the sugar resolution come to a boil on a medium-high flame.

23. When the sugar resolution involves a boil, then fastidiously place the cham cham within the sugar resolution. Gently shake the pan holding the handles on the sides.

24. Cowl the pan with lid and boil cham cham on medium-high flame for five minutes.

25. After 5 minutes in a mild stream slowly add the 1 cup of reserved sugar resolution.

26. Maintain the pan on the handles and gently shake it.

27. Cowl once more with lid and prepare dinner lined for 7 minutes. I cooked for a complete of 12 minutes. The cooking time will fluctuate with the depth of flame, pan kind and dimension and so forth. So the full time taken for cooking can fluctuate from 8 to 12 minutes. Don’t overcook the chom chom items, as they turn into rubbery and dense.

28. After 8 to 10 minutes, you’ll be able to test utilizing this technique to see if the cham cham are cooked. To test take one chum chum and place it in a bowl or mug of water. It ought to calm down on the backside. If it floats then the cham cham must be cooked for a couple of extra minutes.

29. As soon as the chum chum are cooked, change off the flame. Maintain the pan down and take away the lid.

30. After 5 minutes add 1 tablespoon kewra water or rose water. You may also add ½ to 1 teaspoon cardamom powder. combine gently. Let cham cham cool utterly.

Making stuffing for cham cham

30. In a heavy kadai or pan, take 6 tablespoons milk powder, 2 tablespoons sugar, 7 to eight strands saffron and ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder.

31. Subsequent add 2 tablespoons malai or cream reserved from the milk after we had boiled it. Additionally add 2 to three tablespoons milk.

32. Combine all the pieces and maintain pan or kadai on a low flame.

33. Stirring typically start to prepare dinner this combination.

34. The combination will start to thicken. stir repeatedly and prepare dinner until the combination leaves sides of pan. let this combination cool utterly. Once more right here don’t over prepare dinner this combination as then it turns into chewy and sticky. In case it turns into chewy and sticky, then sprinkle some milk or water (1 to 2 tablespoons) on it and gently warmth by way of.

Making stuffed chum chum

35. Place cham cham on a tray and board. with a knife make reduce every cham cham on prime. Don’t reduce the cham cham completely.

36. Pull half the reduce sides and place the stuffing within the cham cham fastidiously with out breaking them.

37. Stuff all of the cham cham items this fashion.

38. Take 2 to three tablespoons desiccated coconut in a plate and gently roll cham cham in order that the desiccated coconut sticks to the cham cham.

39. Do that with all of the cham cham items.

40. Place every cham cham on a serving plate or tray. Garnish with sliced pistachios and almonds.

41. Serve cham cham. or you’ll be able to chill cham cham after which serve later. Refrigerate any leftover cham cham items.

A couple of extra sweets recipes chances are you’ll like are:

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This Cham Cham Candy submit from the archives first revealed in October 2018 has been up to date and republished on February 2023.

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