Home » Bengali Recipes » Cham Cham
(4 Votes and 9 Comments)
Bengali Recipes, Sweets
हिन्दीગુજરાતી
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Cham Cham (aka Chom Chom) – desiccated coconut coated, mawa (khoya) and dry fruits stuffed oval shaped bengali mithai, is prepared in a very similar way as rasgulla. This Cham Cham Recipe explains how to make it at home with detailed step by step photos and also provides tips and variations on how to serve it in three different ways for occasions like Diwali and Durga Pooja.
More Bengali Recipes
- Rasmalai
- Rasgulla
- Sandesh (Sondesh)
Preparation Time:
15 minutes
Cooking Time:
45 minutes
Serves: 6 servings (12 pieces)
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Cooking Measurements
Cham Cham Recipe In Hindi (हिन्दी में पढ़े)
Cham Cham Recipe In Gujarati (ગુજરાતી માં વાંચો)
| Ingredients: |
| 1 liter Milk |
| 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice |
| 1½ cups Sugar |
| 4 cups Water |
| 1/4 teaspoon Green Cardamom Powder |
| For stuffing: |
| 1/4 cup Mawa (khoya), grated or crumbled |
| 1 teaspoon Powdered Sugar (more or less to taste) |
| 4-5 Saffron Strands (kesar), dissolved in 1/4 teaspoon of milk or a pinch of yellow food color, optional |
| 1/8 teaspoon Green Cardamom Powder |
| 2-3 tablespoon sliced Pistachio |
| 2 tablespoons Desiccated Coconut |
Directions:
Followsteps 1 to 5 of chenna recipe and make fresh paneer (chhena) using 1-liter milk and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Tie chhena in a clean muslin cloth and squeeze it gently to drain excess water. Hang tied chhena for around 30-45 minutes or keep it under heavy weight for around 7-8 minutes to remove excess moisture.
Untie it and transfer to a large plate. Crumble it using hand.
Mash it and knead it until it starts to turn like dough. Stop kneading when it starts to release the fat (your palm will turn greasy).
Divide it into 10 equal portions. Take each portion and make oval shaped thick pattie (as shown in the picture) from it. The oval shaped patties should not be more than 1 inch as its size will double after boiling in sugar syrup in next step.
Take a deep pan (or a pressure cooker) and add 1½ cups sugar and 4-cups water in it to make sugar syrup. Heat it over medium flame and stir to dissolve the sugar. When it comes to rolling boil, gently drop oval shaped patties (one by one) from side of the pan.
Cover it with a lid (if using pressure cooker, remove whistle from the lid and then cover it) and boil for 12-minutes over medium flame. After 6-minutes, open the lid and flip each pattie gently with a spatula. Again, cover with a lid and cook for another 6-minutes.
Turn off the flame and transfer it to a large bowl. Add 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder to it and let it cool to room temperature. Cham Cham is now ready, however, we will make it little more tastier with saffron flavored mawa stuffing. See tips and variation mentioned below for other serving options.
Prepare stuffing for chum chum – take 1/4 cup mawa (khoya), 1 teaspoon powdered sugar, 1/8 teaspoon cardamom powder and dissolved saffron strands in a small bowl.
Mix well using a spoon.
Drain the excess syrup after cham cham cools down to room temperature. It should be cool enough otherwise it may break while stuffing. Take one oval shaped pattie in hand and cut horizontally from one side using a knife, keep another side connected. Take desiccated coconut and pistachio in two different plates.
Gently stuff it with mawa – approx. 1-teaspoon and roll it in desiccated coconut.
Sprinkle pistachio over stuffed mawa and press with hand. Transfer it to the plate and repeat steps 11 and 12 for remaining ones.
Bengali cham cham is ready. If you like, you can garnish it with dissolved saffron strands or chopped pistachio. Keep it in a container and place it in refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Serve chilled.
Tips and Variations:
- Cool the cham cham completely before stuffing otherwise it will break into pieces while stuffing.
- Add a pinch of yellow food color or pink food color in chhena while kneading it (in step-3) to make a colorful chom chom.
- You can prepare and serve it in three different ways 1) with stuffed mawa as mentioned above, 2) with simple grated coconut coating (without mawa stuffing) and 3) with thick creamy rabri (malai rabri) and pistachio garnish.
Taste: Sweet
Serving Ideas: Serve cham cham as a sweet dish with meal in lunch or dinner. It can also be served as a party dessert.
Author: Foram
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9 Comments
Jun 06, 2021 by Soniya Jain
Hi, I made chum chum. It's bigger in size also but when I put in refrigerator it didn't stay soft, why plz reply me.
Response: Hello Soniya, chumchum will turn a little harder when you put it in the refrigerator. Store it in a closed container and take it out from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.
Nov 23, 2017 by Anika Hossain
Can we use any kind of milk?
Response: Hello Anika, you can use any kind of milk but use cow's milk for perfect cham cham.
Nov 25, 2016 by Kavyashree H V
Hi, I tried this, my chum chum got bigger in size but the syrup was not absorbed by the chum chum nicely. When I had a bite, it tasted uncooked in the middle with no syrup absorbed. What could have gone wrong ?
Response: Hello Kavyashree, it happens when the cham cham is not cooked for enough time or the chenna has not enough moisture.
Oct 10, 2016 by Shibani
Hi, I made this lovely dessert today. It turned out fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
Jun 30, 2016 by Tara
My chum chum are not getting bigger in size they are of same size. I did not use pressure cooker is that the problem?
Response: Hello Tara, pressure cooker is used in this recipe as a pan (pan with a lid). So, it is not the problem. The main reasons behind your problem are either the dry chenna or chcum chum is not cooked in boiling syrup. If the chenna is too dry, the chum chum will turn hard and won't increase in size. It is necessary to keep the syrup boiling while cooking.
Apr 17, 2016 by Jassi
I tried this but my chum chum didn't turn large when I boiled...
Response: Hi Jassi, when you try this next time, make sure that chenna is kneaded well and cham cham is cooked in boiling sugar-water mixture (no hot, it must be boiling).
Feb 24, 2016 by Bindu
I tried making it but my cham cham started breaking as soon as water was boiling....Please help.
Response: The main reason behind cham cham is breaking while cooking in water is the excess moisture in chenna. Chenna should not be too moist or too dry. If it is too moist, you can hang it for few more minutes or press it between paper napkin to remove excess moisture.
Nov 21, 2015 by PRASHANTHI gowda
Wow superb. Thank you for guideline.
Aug 04, 2015 by Lamia
Can I use vinegar instead of lemon? :)
Response: Yes, you can use vinegar instead of lemon juice.
