In this recipe, I am going to share the Malai chom-chom recipe or said chum-chum in Hindi. A Bengali sweet recipe that is very popular and extremely delicious.
To prepare Malai Chom Chom we need milk and sugar as the main key ingredients. To start with the recipe first we need to curdle the milk to obtain chenna. From this soft chenna, we need to prepare our chom-chom sweet which simply melts into our mouths. The Bengali style of malai chom-chom recipe is made out of full cream milk at home.
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Ingredients required to prepare Malai chom chom
- Full cream milk 1/2 gallon
- White Vinegar 1/4 cup mixed with 1/2 cup of water
Sugar Syrup ~
- 1 cup of sugar
- 2 cups of water
- Rosewater 2 teaspoons
- Cardamom 2 to 3 broken
For Malai/ Rabri ~
- Milk 5 cups
- Sugar 1/2 cup
- Roughly ground pistachios 2 tablespoons
- Ground cardamom 1/2 teaspoon
Total time to prepare ~
- To prepare chenna 40 minutes
- Cooking rasgullas 10 minutes
- Preparing sugar syrup for 10 to 12 minutes
- Preparing rabri malai 1 and 1/2 hours approx
- Refrigerating chum chum sweet in sugar syrup minimum of 2 hours
- Refrigerating rabri malai to chill for 20 minutes (This time is not calculated)
- Total Time consumed to prepare Malai Chum chum sweet is 4 and a 1/2 hours and 2 minutes approx.
Short Summary of the recipe
Preparing Chenna / Cottage cheese at home ~
To prepare the malai chom-chom recipe first we need to prepare chenna i.e cottage cheese at home. Home-made chenna is soft and nice in texture and results in a perfect chum-chum sweet recipe. Bring milk to a boil and prepare a diluted vinegar mixture to curdle the milk. To prepare diluted vinegar mix some water and vinegar together and use.
As soon as the milk starts to boil stir and gradually add diluted vinegar and stir gently until the milk has curdled and is nice.
Straining
Strain chenna using a cheesecloth that is triple folded to get the most out of it. Pour some clean water immediately and rinse chenna 2 to 3 times. Squeeze out the water from the chenna after by folding the cheesecloth from all sides and holding and turning and twisting from the top as shown in the image above.
Kneading ~
Next, knead the chenna by using the palm until soft and smooth. In between kneading add a teaspoon of maida i.e all purpure flour to help it bind easily together and which also helps build in the texture of the chom-chom sweet. Continue to knead, mix maida well, and until it forms a nice and smooth chenna dough. Kneading the chenna takes around 7 to 10 minutes. Once the chenna ball is ready divide and takes small portions to shape these cylindrical as chum-chum sweet. Prepare all and keep aside.
Cooking chenna balls ~
Into a large container boil sufficient water and drop the prepared chenna balls slowly one by one into it. Cover immediately and let these boil and cook for 10 minutes or until you see these have doubled in size. These start to float and seem to be light-weighted once cooked. While these are hot gently squeeze water by pressing in between two spoons as these are hot. Then transfer them into another container where they will be soaked in hot sugar syrup for a few hours.
Preparing sugar syrup ~
To prepare sugar syrup we need to mix 1 cup of sugar with 2 cups of water and boil the mixture for 10 to 12 minutes. In between boiling break 2 to 3 whole cardamoms and mix into it for adding some nice flavor. Once the sugar syrup has been boiled for a while turn off the flame and add 2 teaspoons of rose water because this will surely make a difference by adding a wonderful aroma. Once the syrup is ready immediately pour the hot syrup on top of the sweets and let these keep soaked into it for a few hours. Refrigerate and chill.
To prepare rabri malai ~
Boil and let the milk cook and simmer on low flame until reduces to half. The process requires constant stirring of the milk while keeping it on low flame. Scrape solidified milk that accumulates continuously through the corners of the saucepan and put them back into the milk. That’s how rabri malai is prepared. It requires a little time and patience to achieve the right consistency but it is surely worth trying. Once you see the milk has reduced to half add sugar as required along with some ground cardamom, and continue to cook until thickens. Also, add in any dry nuts of choice and cook a while along with the milk. I have used some roughly ground pistachios which add a nice color and flavor to the rabri malai. Once done refrigerate and chill until used.
Serving ~
Take out the chilled chum-chum and rabri malai from the refrigerator. Into a serving container or bowl place chum-chum sweets along with some of its syrup. Then pour rabri malai on top of these. Garnish with some frozen sweet cherries sliced on top and in the center of each chum-chum. You may use tutti-fruity as well to add some color. Or simply garnish with some broken dry nuts and enjoy.
Step-by-step directions to prepare Malai Chom Chom
1) Preparing chenna i.e Cottage Cheese ~
These sweets are made with paneer or homemade chenna i.e cottage cheese. The first step is to Boil milk to prepare soft chenna at home. Bring milk to a boil.
As soon as it starts to boil stir and lower the flame. Prepare diluted vinegar mixture by adding 1/4 cup of distilled vinegar to 2/3 cup of water. Add distilled vinegar mixture slowly into it and stir. Keep stirring slowly until you see the chenna starts to separate from the milk.
Add vinegar gradually and stir. Repeat the process until you have used the vinegar mixture completely.
2) Straining the chenna
Use a strainer and cheesecloth to strain the soft chenna. The cheesecloth that I am using is triple folded to get the most out of it.
Pour clean water 2 to 3 times to rinse the chenna.
Grab and Fold the cloth from all sides and gently Squeeze out the water.
Allow cooling for 10 minutes.
2) Kneading ~
The next step is to Knead the chenna ball.
Break the dough. Then use the palm of your hands to knead. Knead the chenna for about 10 minutes.
In between kneading add 1 teaspoon of all-purpose flour. Mix and continue to knead until soft and nice chenna dough forms.
3) Shaping
Divide the dough and take a small portion to shape them cylindrical like chom chom sweet.
Shape them all together and keep them aside.
Boil sufficient plain tap water into a large container. Once the water starts to boil drop chenna balls slowly one by one. Cover immediately and cook on high flame for 10 minutes. Uncover and check and turn off the flame at this point. You will see the chenna balls have doubled in size within no time and look beautiful. These once cooked start to float on the water and seems to be light-weighted.
4) Preparing sugar syrup
To prepare sugar syrup we need 1 cup of sugar and 2 cups of water. Mixed well and boil for 10 to 12 minutes minutes. Add 2 to 3 broken cardamons into it while boiling. Turn off the flame and add 2 teaspoons of rose water and mix.
On the other hand, slightly squeeze out the water from these cooked chum-chum rasgullas and transfer them into a separate container.
Pour hot sugar syrup immediately into our hot chum-chum rasgullas. Let these cool and keep soaked for a few hours. Refrigerate to chill as well.
4) Preparing rabri malai ~
To prepare Rabri malai use full-fat milk. Boil and cook milk initially into low to medium flame by frequent stirring so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Keep on stirring and cooking on low flame until the milk reduces to half. Scrape solidified milk from the sides of the pan constantly, and put these back into the milk, throughout the stirring process.
As you see the milk has reduced to half now, at this point add sugar, some ground cardamoms, and some roughly broken pistachios. You may use any dry nuts of your choice.
Continue to stir and cook at the lowest flame until the mixture reaches a thick creamy malai consistency. Turn off the flame and allow it to cool. Refrigerate and chill as well.
5) Serving
Now as you see the chilled chum-chum is right out of the refrigerator. Let’s check out the texture inside. It looks perfect and delicious. And it’s ready to be served with rabri malai.
Take out the chilled chum-chum and rabri malai from the refrigerator. Into a serving container or bowl place chum-chum sweets along with some of its syrup. Then pour rabri malai on top of these. Garnish with some frozen sweet cherries sliced on top and in the center of each chum-chum. You may use tutti-fruity as well to add some color. Or simply garnish with some broken dry nuts and enjoy.
Print recipe below
Malai Chom Chom recipe
Ingredients
For preparing chenna / Paneer
- 1/2 gallon Milk (full cream)
- White vinegar 1/4 cup + water 1/2 cup
To prepare sugar syrup
- 1 cup Sugar
- 2 cup Water
- 2 teaspoons Rose water
- 2-3 in number Cardamom
To preapre Rabri Malai we need
- 5 cups Milk
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground cardamom