Chum Chum Sweet

I have been meaning to prepare this awesome, mouth watering sweet treat and post the recipe for a long time now!!
It has been a hectic year thus far and today being a special day for our dear sister, who is celebrating her birthday – I am personally glad it turned out well on my first attempt….
with your support and feedback, I wish to fine tune it!!!!! The photography was courtesy my hubby!!

Chum Chum is a very popular Bengali sweet treat served as a dessert – It is basically paneer or cheese spongy balls boiled in sugar syrup!!!
This sweet treat is very popular in parts of Bengal and is also called Bengali Rasgulla!!
My preference is to prepare this dish from home made paneer (cheese) – you may also make it from the paneer bought in the local Indian grocery store!!!

Ingredients to make the (Home made) Paneer mix (cheese)
To make approximately 20 pieces

3 litres Milk
¼ Cup Lime Juice OR
4 Cups of Paneer (from Indian Grocery Store)
1 Tsp Rose Essence
2 Tbs Fine Semolina

For the Syrup

3 Cups Sugar
8 Cups Water
Few Strands Saffron
1 Tsp  Rose Essence

Dressing

4 Tbs Rose Syrup
4 tbs Left Over Sugar Syrup
Sliced Raw Pistachio Nuts
Grated Raw Pistachio Nuts

 

Preparation

Bring the milk to the boil and reduce the flame and stir it adding the lime juice little by little till it curdles and starts forming small lumps.
Take the pan away from the stove and pour the milk on a muslin cloth through a sieve and keep it aside for all the water to drain for a few hours or overnight.

To prepare the chum chum mix, bring the cheese together with your hands adding the fine semolina.
Add one teaspoon of the rose essence and knead it to make a very soft dough.
Make small sized oval shaped balls by placing the dough in the palm of the hands and rolling it gently between the fingers and the palm.

Prepare the syrup by bringing the water to the boil and adding the sugar to it.
Boil it for 5 minutes. Add the rose essence and the saffron to the syrup.

Drop the cheese balls one by one into the syrup and keep the flame on high for 10 minutes and cook it with the lid open.
After 10 minutes cover the pan with the lid and reduce the flame to the minimum and cook it for 30-40 minutes.

The Chum Chum will almost double in size and is now ready to be served
Dress the individual chum chums to your own taste!!
Mix the sugar and rose syrup – spoon individual chum chum and dress it finally with the Pistachio nuts and shavings!!

Optional to place a sugar crystal in each of the cheese balls when rolling it before dropping into the syrup!