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Chum Chum

Chum Chum

Chum Chum - Bengali Dessert

Chum Chum is a popular Bengali (East Indian) sweet dish that is made with Paneer, (home-made cheese). It is a versatile dish that can be served in many different variations. Here I will show you 3 different ways to serve Chum Chum, either with Pistachios, or with Coconuts or with Malai (cream).
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Making Paneer 25 minutes
Total Time 17 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups whole milk, paneer
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 5 cups water
  • 1/8 tsp cardamom powder

Ingredients for different For Different Garnishing

  • 1 tbs pistachio
  • 1 tbs coconut powder
  • 2 tbsp cream

Instructions
 

  • Prepare paneer according to recipe “How to Make Paneer”. To test if sufficient water has been removed out of the paneer, take a little piece of paneer in your palm and rub with your fingers. You should be able to make a firm but smooth ball, after 15-20 seconds of rubbing.
  • Place the drained paneer on a dry, clean surface and knead it for 3 to 4 minutes until it rolls into smooth soft dough. If the paneer is too crumbly, add a teaspoon of water.
  • Divide the paneer dough into 8 equal parts and roll each one into a smooth oval shaped ball.
  • For the syrup: In a wide saucepan, bring 5 cups of water to a boil. Add sugar and stir to dissolve completely. Use a large pan as the Chum Chums will double in volume while cooking in the syrup.
  • Add the paneer balls to the syrup and bring it back to a boil. Then turn down the heat to medium and cover the pot. Cook for 10 minutes.
  • Open the pot cover, turn the chum chums over and cook for another 15 minutes. Check to see if the chum chums appear firm but sponge-like (with little holes on the surface). Turn off the heat and let sit for 10 more minutes.
  • Remove the chum chums from the syrup. Serve chill!
  • Serving With Pistachios: Cover every Chum Chum with a few pieces of sliced pistachios
  • Serving with Coconut Powder: Roll the chum chums in dry coconut
  • Serving with Malai (cream): Boil the milk over medium heat until it reduces to ½ its volume. Stir the milk continuously so it doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pot. Add sugar, and cardamom powder. Stir for 2 minutes, and then turn off the heat. While milk is still warm pour 1 tablespoon over every Chum Chum and top with a few pieces of pistachios.
Keyword Bengali Dessert, Paneer Dessert
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61 thoughts on “Chum Chum

  1. Hi Manjula ji, First of all I want to thank you for providing all the wonderful recipes. Most of the time anything I make from your recipe, turns out perfect. However, when I made chum chum, i think something went wrong. It was the first time I made paneer so maybe I didn’t do it properly. When I dropped the chum chum in sugar, it was fine, after few mins, they puffed up a lott, then when I tried to turn them , i noticed that they were really really soft. AFter 25 minutes, when I took them out on a plate, they were flat. Do you think maybe my paneer was too soft? I did try to take out all the water from it but I didn’t let it sit. I made paneer and immediately started making chum chum. I did kneed it for about 3 mins. I really want to perfect this, so please let me know what I did wrong. Thanks!

  2. Hi, I just moved to Bangladesh. The cham cham shop uses flour and I’m unable to eat wheat. I’m so glad I found this recipe, but it says the recipe for paneer is gone. What do I do? Thank you.

  3. Hello Manjulaji, I like your recipes so much, you have become my cooking GURU, You do excellent job of teaching, please keep it up.
    Thanks very much,
    Indira

  4. Hi,

    Even I tried your recipe but paneer was floating into tiny pieces after 10 mins 🙁 and I was disappointed to see it. what could have gone wrong ? I tried exactly the way mentioned.

    Please suggest.

  5. Thanks much. I tried the recipe, but the chum chum were a bit too dense and slightly flattened. The chum chum I’ve had at methai shops are typically less dense and firmer. Any ideas on what i could have done wrong?

    Thanks!

  6. Made paneer the way u mntnd,but after immersing the pedas for 10 minutes ,i was shocked to see all of them were crumbled and floating like!like!shiri what could have gone wrong ??

  7. Can the chum chum with malai version be made 3- 4 days in advance or is it better to make plain chum chum and then put the malai dressing on the day I want to serve them?

  8. Aunty

    Can I make chum chum with the malai version ahead of time, i mean 4 days in advance or i should make plain chum chum and then put the malai dressing on the day i want to serve.. i am making this for around 20 ppl..

  9. I made this today- followed your recipe exactly, except that I made paneer with low-fat milk. It turned out super delicious- my husband loved it. Thanks for the lovely recipe.

  10. when i boil paneer it rises up in the boiled water but when i remove it goes down again, why is it so?,reply soon soooooooooooooooooooon sooooooooooooooon soooooooooooooooooooooon

  11. thanks manjula for this recipe
    made them tdy, it came out well though not very soft…should i have left it longer to cook?
    also, do we have to increase the sugar syrup according to the quantity of paneer, if yes how much for say 8cups of milk.
    thanks
    regards

  12. Hi auntiji…
    Tried both Rasgulla and Chum chum today.. came out very tasty.. however they weren’t as fluffy as the one I had eaten in the bakery .. But really was v happy with taste..my hubby’s fav one:) thanks a lot aunty.. Wish you a very happy new year:)Thank you..

  13. Hi Manjulaji
    I am planning to make these chumchum for my daughter’s b’day party for 20-25 people so wanted to know how earlier can I make them so that they are good to eat and everyone can enjoy them
    Please reply whenevr possible
    Thanks!

    1. Renuka,
      Rasgullas are cooked in light syrup and are served with syrup. While Chum Chums are cooked in heavy syrup and cooked longer time. Because of that they are not as spongy and are served several different ways but not with syrup. Because they are cooked in heavy syrup shelf life is also longer.

  14. Hi auntyji,

    i tried ur recipe chum chum & it was very nice.All the tips u give is also valuable .i have a question ,
    Can u please show us in a video how the paneer we make can be cut into slices becoz it always crumbles & not able to use for preparing side dishes though u have mentioned it in ur video “how to make paneer” .If u can show it by doing then it will be easy for viewers like me than just telling it. Thank u very much.

  15. Hello Aunty,

    i never thought in my dreams also that i can ever make bengali sweets at home but thankssssssss to you i made chum chum and it came out so nice thank you so much.
    love
    juhi

  16. Namaste Aunty,

    Many thanks for this wonderful recipe. Just wanted to ask why you don’t use a pressure cooker to boil the chum chum as you do for the rasagullah and rasmalai?

    Also, just to let you know that in East Bengal we also decorate chum chum with dried milk powder (a bit like how you have done with the dessicated coconut) which is very delicious.

    Shubhkamnayein, Chotu

  17. Hi.
    Great recipe. Was wondering can I prepare this sweet with readymade paneer available in Indian grocery stores?
    Thank you for your time & response in advance.
    Jayashree

  18. Dear Manjula ji,
    I am trying chomchom right now and I don’t know why they have cracks on them…they look very good and soft…but cracks are the only problem… Do you know what am I doing wrong? Thanks
    Mekhala

  19. Thanks aunty for all your great recipes,i offer them all to my deities Sri Radhashyamsundar,and we take good prasadam,Thank you very much,you are a great support here.

  20. Thanks a lot!
    after learning so much from you website, i should open restaurant by now. Thanks for showing recipes in a simple way. i call your recipes Bullet proof recipes, if i follow all the steps, there is very little chance of making mistakes. Thanks again!!

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