Cham cham Sweet

Chom chom or chum chum is traditional Bengali sweet which has firm texture from outside and stuffed with delicious cream. To make chum chum is easy but does take time. The method of making cham cham sweet is similar to that of making rasgulla. This scrumptious sugary sweet is made from small dumplings out of fresh chenna (Indian Cottage Cheese) and made in cylindrical shape. Main ingredients are milk and khoya. Khoya is used for stuffing which makes this mithai rich in taste. I made this sweet for my Hubby’s Birthday. It is sinfully rich and delicious that you will be definitely tempted to eat.

Ingredients:

For Chenna

 Milk-1 litre

Vinegar or lemon juice -2 tbsp

Semolina /Rava - 1tsp to prepare the chenna dough

For Sugar Syrup

Sugar-400 gms/2 cups

Water-4cups

Rose water or kewra water 1 tsp

Cardamom powder- 1 tsp

For sweet filling

Sugar- 2 tbsp

khoya or Mava-2 tbsp

 Milk- 3 tbsp

Saffron-7 to 8 strands

Cardamom powder-¼ tsp

For garnish

  Desiccated coconut- 2 tbsp

 Sliced pistachios- 1 tbsp

 Few strands of saffron – optional

Cherry-few

 

Method:

To prepare this dessert recipe, start by preparing the chenna. Take 1 litre milk in a heavy bottom pan. Put the flame in medium high and let the milk boil.

While boiling the milk, put the flame in medium and stir occasionally. Once the milk starts boiling, put the flame on lowest.

In boiled milk Squeeze out the lemon juice into the milk with the help of a lemon squeezer. Stir it slowly and let the milk curdle. Stir for 1-2 minutes in lowest flame Switch off the flame and add 1 cup of cold water into the pan to stop the chenna to get cooked further. Stir it until the water gets separated completely.

Take a large bowl and place a sieve on it. Put a Muslin cloth on the sieve. Pour the curdled milk immediately to the Muslin cloth. Add 1 more cup of cold water into it and wash the chenna.

Stir the Chenna gently for a minute with the help of a spatula to cool it off.. Squeeze the excess water and then tie a tight knot of the cloth. Hang the Chenna for at least 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, put the Chenna on a large plate; adding 1 tsp Rava and 1tsp sugar and mash chenna  with he help of fingers.The softness increases when you mash it. .

Put it on the plate and rotate it to smoothen its body. Make sure there are no cracks in the shaped chenna portions. Repeat the process and shape the sweet with rest of the chenna.

 

Take each piece and roll them between your palms to a smooth cylindrical or oblong shape. pinch the edges.

  Make oblong shaped cham cham with the entire kneaded chenna. Keep them covered with a moist muslin cloth.

Making sugar syrup for chum chum

Add water and sugar into a large wide pan and put the flame on high.

 

Once it starts boiling, check whether it has any dirt inside the syrup. If you observe any dirt, then add 1-2 tablespoons milk. While the syrup starts boiling, the dirt will come on the top like froth. Discard the dirt with the help of a spoon. If there is no dirt, then skip this step.

Boil the syrup for 3-4 minutes. Put the flame in low and dunk the cylindrical shaped Chenna into sugar syrup one by one immediately.

ut the flame on high and cover the pan. Let them cook for 10 minutes. Don’t stir the sweet in between. They are very soft and may break. While they get boiled in the sugar syrup, they will rotate automatically.

After 10 minutes, the size of the sweets will be double in size.

Making stuffing for chum chum

 

    In a heavy kadai or pan, take 2 tbsp khoya/ mava 2 tablespoons sugar, 7 to 8 strands saffron and ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder.

    Next add 2 tablespoons saffron added  milk.Mix everything and keep pan or kadai on a low flame.Stirring often begin to cook this mixture.

    The mixture will begin to thicken. Stir continuously and cook till the mixture leaves sides of pan. Let this mixture cool completely.

Making chum chum

    Place them on a tray and board. With a knife make cut each cham cham on top. Do not cut the cham cham entirely.

    Place the stuffing in the cham cham sweet carefully without breaking them.Stuff all the pieces this way.

 

    Take desiccated coconut in a plate and gently roll cham cham sweet so that the desiccated coconut sticks to the cham cham.

    Place them on a serving plate or tray. Garnish with sliced pistachios, cherry and saffron Serve cham cham.

 Enjoy the Dessert!

 

Eggless Rasmalai Cake

Eggless Rasmalai Cake

Rasmalai is a popular Indian sweet wherein cottage cheese dumplings are soaked in sweetened and thickened milk. This Rasmalai Cake is a fusion of western cake with a classic blend of vanilla sponge cake & rasmalai. But to give a nice Indian twist, instead of adding the vanilla essence this cake is Flavoured with cardamom powder and Almond essence which gives the cake a nice flavour and colour. The relishing flavours, the appealing texture and the amazing aroma of Rasmalai , The Cake is just mouth-watering. I had made a Rasmalai cake for My Son’s birthday and it was Huge hit in my Family.

Ingredients-

For Sponge Base:

Maida/All Purpose Flour- 1 cup

 Condensed milk- 150 gms

 Unsalted butter- 1/2 cup

 Almond Essence- 1/2 tbsp

 Milk- 1/2 Cup

 Baking powder- 1 tbsp

  Baking soda- 1/2 tbsp

Yellow food colour- 3 drops/A pinch (if using powder)

 

For My Rasmalai ras/milk recipe Here And here

For Frosting: 

Non- Dairy Whipping cream- 1 1/2 Cup( I used Tropolite)

Homemade rasmalai Ras- 2 tbsp

Almond Essence -2 to 3 drops

Cardamom powder-1/2 tsp

Pinch of Yellow colour

Icing Sugar-2 Tbsp

Few saffron strands

Some flaked almonds and pistachio and edible rose petals  for decoration

 

Method:

1.Preheat the oven at 180 degree Celsius.

2.Grease a round cake tin and dust it with flour very well. Tap the excess flour.

3.Sieve the flour, cardamom powder, baking soda and baking powder and Keep aside.

4.Pour condensed milk in a bowl. Add the butter, and beat well till smooth. Add the almond essence and beat. Then add flour spoon by spoon, mixing into the condensed milk mixture.

5.In between, add milk as required if the butter begins to get too stiff. Stir the mixture in one direction only all the while. This will incorporate more air and make the cake lighter.

6.Once all the flour is used up, beat the batter as above till light (5-7 minutes) mix gently till smooth.

7.Pour into a greased cake tin. Bake at 15-2o minutes or till done

8,Poke with a skewer and check. Cool a little. Remove the tin from the oven and allow it to cool in the tin for 4-5 minutes.

To assemble the cake:

1.Slice the cake horizontally into two equal parts.

2.Place one half of the cake on a serving plate and sprinkle the Ras for soaking in order to make the cake moist.

3.Spread half of the Ras over the cake layer then topped with whipping cream and rasgulla pieces and sandwich with the other half of the cake.

4.Spread another layer of whipped cream on rasgulla pieces and even it out with spatula.

5.Repeat the steps with the top layer. Cover entire cake with frosting and level it on top and sides of the cake. 

6.After this let it rest in the fridge for 30 mins before you proceed with final coating.

7.Finish it with final frosting and decorations on the cake as per your  creativity. 

8.For final frosting I piped beautiful rosettes on top of the cake as well as sides of the cake.

9.Garnish the sides of the cake with some crushed pistachios and the top with pieces of rasmalais [squeeze out the ras before placing them] Sprinkle some crushed pistachios and eadible rose petals and kesar strands over it.  

10. Refrigerate the cake for atleast 30 mins before you serve.