Chum Chum: a delicious recipe for a popular Bengali dessert

Chum chum is a wonderful milky sweet. This irresistible dessert has its origins in Bangladesh and is popular throughout India as well. You'll find chum chum in many shops in both countries. Also called cham cham or chom chom, chum chum has a similar soft, cloud-like texture to rasgulla.

This fantastic Bengali sweet is stuffed with sweetened figs, mawa, cardamom, and rolled in coconut flakes. Chum chum is surprisingly easy to make. It's a perfect dessert to serve at parties, potlucks, or to make and gift to friends!

What is Chum Chum?

Chum chum is a popular dessert throughout Bangladesh and India. Very easy to make, these treats stand out for their cylindrical shape and soft, spongy texture as rasgulla.

Tips for Making the Best Chum Chum 

Make sure to squeeze as much water as possible out of the chenna before cutting and shaping it.

Whole milk is the best type of milk for making chum chum.

While chum chum is often enjoyed on its own, for an extra sweet treat, try serving it in rabri, a sweet condensed milk flavored with sugar and spices.

How to Store Chum Chum 

Keep chum chum in an airtight container in the fridge. They'll last up to 4 days.

How to Make Chum Chum

For the filling

Heat the mawa in a pan over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir the figs, powdered sugar, and cardmom seeds into the mawa. Set aside.

For the chum chum

Pour the milk into a heavy-bottom saucepan. Bring the milk to a boil. Once it boils, turn off the heat and add ¼ cup of water to the milk. Leave the milk for 5 to 10 minutes.

Add lemon juice until the milk begins to curdle.

Strain the water out of the mixture and gather the chenna (curdled milk). Rinse the chenna then leave it for 10 to 15 minutes to drain completely. Squeeze out any excess water.

Add the cornflour to the chenna and knead for several minutes, until smooth. Cut the chenna mixture into 7 equal portions.

Shape the chenna portions into ovals.

Bring 5 cups of water to a boil in a large, wide pan. Once boiling, add sugar and rose essence. Stir to dissolve the sugar and make a syrup.

Place the chum chum into the syrup, lower the heat, and place a lid over the pan. Cook for 15 minutes over medium-low. Turn off the heat then leave the chum chum to sit in the syrup for 3 to 4 hours.

Make a deep cut in the center of the chum chum. Fill each with the stuffing.

Roll the chum chum in shredded coconut, sprinkle with pistachios.

Place in the fridge to chill before serving.

Notes

Adding food dye is optional. Traditional colors include pink and orange. If you choose to add food coloring your chum chum, do it after dividing the chenna into 7 individual pieces.