Chum Chum

Today is the final day of Blogging Marathon#22. I couldn’t stay away from sweets because for me Bengali cuisine is all about milk sweets. Today I made Chum Chum. This is a sweet very much similar to Rasgolla. The difference is that it is cooked in a slightly thicker syrup and is rolled in grated coconut before serving. This does not float in syrup as Rasgollas. Paneer cooked in sugar syrup tastes delicious whatever the cooking or serving method may be. Today I should say that I struggled a lot when the chum chums started breaking. I made a mistake. I had the flame high and it was boiling rigorously and that made the chum chums break. Some how I managed to save a few. Though they lacked presentation they tasted fabulous. They were mildly sweet and the coconut gave a nice flavour to the chum chum.

Recipe From Tarla Dalal’s Mithai Cook Book
Makes 8 Chum Chums
Ingredients:
For The Chum Chum:
Milk-1 litre
Citric Acid-1/4 tsp
Red Orange Food Colour- A Few Drops

For The Syrup:
Sugar-5 cups
Water-3 cups
Milk-1/2 cup

Maida-2tsp mixed with 3/4 cup of water
Grated Coconut-1/4 cup for coating

Procedure:
Sugar Syrup:
1. In a heavy bottomed large pan add sugar, milk and water.
2. Keep on stirring until the sugar dissolves completely.
3. Bring it to boil.
4. The impurities will form a grey layer on top.
5. Reduce flame to medium. Add 1/2 cup of water to the syrup and let it boil for 5 minutes.
6. Now remove the impurities layer with a slotted spoon.
7. Strain the syrup through a fine mesh to get rid of remaining impurities.
8. Keep it aside.

Chum Chums:
1. Bring milk to boil and add the citric acid.
2. Switch off flame and stir the milk until it curdles.
3. Strain it through a cloth lined sieve.
4. When cool squeeze out the extra water out.
5. Knead the paneer by pressing it away from you with the palm.
6. Do this until paneer resembles a soft dough. Add food colour and mix it well.
7. Divide it into 8 equal portions.
8. Shape each portion into a cylinder.
9. Dust the back side of a plate with maida and place the cylinders on it.

Cooking The Chum Chums:
1. Bring the syrup to boil and allow it to boil for 2 minutes.
2. Add 1/2 of maida mixed water to the syrup. It will start becoming frothy.
3. Flip the plate with the chum chums into the syrup. Do not handle them with your hand because they are so delicate and they may break.
4. Let it boil on medium flame. ( I used high flame and so the chum chums broke)
5. After 5 minutes, add the remaining maida water.
6. Cook for 5 more minutes.
7. Keep on sprinkling water on the chum chums for 10 more minutes.
8. To see if the chum chum is cooked, drop it into a bowl of water. It should sink to the bottom. If it floats, it needs more cooking.
9. Once they are cooked, fill a bowl with 2 cups of hot syrup along with a ladle of cold water. Drop the cooked chum chums into the bowl and allow it to cool for 2 hours.
10. Once cool, squeeze the syrup out of the chum chum, roll the chum chum in grated coconut and serve.