Cham Cham

Prep time - 3 hrs
Cooking time - 1 hr
Complexity - High
Serving - for 2 persons, makes 4

Ingredients :-

• Milk - 1/2 ltr 
• Lemon water - 4-5 tsp
• All purpose flour/ Maida - 1/2 tsp
• Yellow food color - 3-4 drops (optional)
• Pistachio - 8-9 ( for garnishing )

For Sugar Syrup :

• Water - 2 cup
• Sugar - 1 cup

For filling :

You can use either khoya or whipped cream. Both make a great chum chum.

When using khoya, you need :

• Khoya - 30 gms
• Sugar - 15 gms ( 1-2 tbsp)
• Kewada essence - 1-2 drop

Mix all the ingredients together to make khoya filling

When using whipped cream, you need :

• Heavy whipped cream - 4 tbsp

Method :-

Bring milk to boil. Keep stirring occasionally otherwise it will burn. Once boiled start adding lemon juice gradually. Milk will start curdling. When you notice that curd is getting separated from water, turn off the gas.

Let it cool down for 10 mins. Now separate this curd and water using a cheese cloth. Pour cold water on the cheese cloth wrapped curd. Rinse under cold water and squeeze the water out. Let hang the curd in cheesecloth for about an hour so that extra water is drained out.

Now your hanged paneer is ready. Take it out from the cheesecloth. Knead it properly so there are no cracks. Add all purpose flour to it and knead it again. Divide the mixture into 4 oval shaped balls.

For making sugar syrup : In a pressure cooker add water and sugar, and bring it to boil. You just need water and sugar to mix properly. Do not put lid.

Add paneer balls to sugar syrup and put on the lid. Wait till one whistle. After whistle, reduce  the gas to low heat and let chum chum cook for another 7-8 mins. Turn off the gas after 8 mins. Let the cooker cool down. Once all the steam is out from cooker, open the lid and let the chum chum stay in that syrup for another 10-15 mins because chum chum can break easily if they are hot.

Take all the chum chums out in a bowl along with sugar syrup and place them in a fridge for 3-4 hours. Chum chum tastes best when served chilled. Once chilled, take them out from syrup and slit them from the centre one by one. Do not slit all the way through. Now put your favorite filling (khoya or whipped cream) in slit area of each chum chum. Garnish with pistachio.

* You can also make chum chum in a heavy pan instead of a pressure cooker. Use the same amount of water and sugar to make syrup. Put paneer balls in prepared syrup. Put it on a medium flame. Once chum chums are ready they will start floating at the top of boiling syrup.