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I’m sure that when you look at the recipe you know what caught my eye when I found it… Yes! Its name. My God, it’s so great I couldn’t help but see what it was, Chum Chum Bengali recipe. It’s one of those names that, even if you don’t want to, grab your attention ipso facto.
As soon as you see it, you can’t imagine what it could be made of, at least in my case. What appears to be a tender roll, steamed or similar, is the opposite of what we believe. In fact, it is not made with any dough and, 95% of the recipe is made with milk.
What is Chum Chum Bengali?
The Chum Chum Chum also called Cham Cham or Chom Chom is an original Bengal sweet made with chenna, a variety of fresh/cottage cheese. Many versions of this sweet can be found in different parts of India where they specify that they are made with paneer or ricotta. They are all the same type of cheese called in different ways. The main difference between the different preparations can be found in the fillings, the shapes of presentation or the aromas used.
It is a sweet made with milk, both the main piece and the filling, only they are prepared in a different way. The result is a soft sweetness, very juicy, with a very pleasant texture and sweet and delicate flavors. It reminds us very closely of other Indian sweets such as rasgulla or ras malai.
Its elaboration process is very simple.
This is a very simple recipe, it does not require large steps or very complicated processes. All we have to do is be patient, especially to prepare the khoya.
It is an elaboration that requires more attention and affection, to shape them, to cook them… than any other type of skills that require more precision. And in return, we will enjoy sweets so different from what you have tasted until now that will fascinate you.
What is khoya?
Khoya, also known as mawa or khoa, are the solids of evaporated milk. To achieve this, we must cook the milk over a low heat, thus allowing the water to evaporate and obtain these solids that will result in a golden color paste, subtly sweet and very silky texture. Not to mention its smell, which personally reminds me a lot of “dulce de leche”.
In Indian cuisine, especially in the north, khoya is the main ingredient in most of its sweets. There are several types of khoya that differ in texture and final consistency from each other:
- Solid: It is very thick, so dense that it can even be grated. To make it, the milk should be reduced to 1/5.
- Soft: Also known as Mawa or Hariyali. It is less dense than the previous one, it can be molded (it is the one that we will prepare)
- Granular: Also known as danedar mawa. To achieve this texture, tartaric acid is added.
This ingredient is also used to season curries.
How should I cook khoya?
With a lot of patience. This is a long process, in my case it lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes for 600 ml of milk, during which time we should cook at low heat. Do not be tempted to increase the temperature to speed up the process. The result will not be the same since we increase the possibilities, by 200%, to burn these solids and transfer an unpleasant taste to the final paste.
It is an elaboration that we can prepare while cooking other things or stay in the kitchen. At first it doesn’t require a lot of attention, but as the liquid is reduced, it does need attention and stirring to keep the solids from burning.
Do I get a lot of milk after reducing milk?
No, and even less if we use milks that are not of very good quality. In my case, I used 600 ml of whole milk to obtain 93 g of khoya. I got the exactly amount for this recipe, so if you need more, use more milk.
Keep in mind that it is an ingredient that has a very short shelf life because it is made from fresh milk. Once we’ve done it, keep it in the fridge for up 3-4 days.
Today I’m sharing with you again a song, which you know I like to do every now and then. The choice on this occasion is a song by Kaatru “Nani”.
