Fruit-Flavored Cham Cham: A Cool Take on a Traditional Bengali Treat
One of the most popular Bengali desserts, cham cham is renowned for its delicious sweetness and soft, spongy texture. Traditionally, fresh chhena, or cottage cheese, is used, and it is marinated in sugar syrup. However, Fruit-Flavored Cham Cham is the ideal choice if you want to give this traditional a bright and energizing twist. You may create a dessert that is both unique and tasty that will captivate the taste buds of everyone by infusing the Cham Cham with the natural sweetness and tastes of fruits.
I’ll walk you through the steps of producing Fruit-Flavored Cham Cham in this blog, and you may play around with tastes like mango, strawberry, and orange.
Fruit-Flavored Cham Cham Ingredients
Regarding the Cham Cham:
- One liter of full-fat milk, used to make cottage cheese or chhena.
One-half cup sugar (for chhena)
- One teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice (to curdle the milk)
- Optional: ¼ teaspoon baking soda (for softness)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons maida all-purpose flour
- One tablespoon of cornflour (optional; extra binding)
- An optional pinch of cardamom powder for flavor
Concerning the Fruit Syrup:
One and a half cups sugar
- Two cups of water
2 to 3 tablespoons fruit puree (You can have an orange, strawberry, mango, or any other fruit of your choice.)
- One or two ground cardamom pods (optional; adds flavor)
- A few strands of optional saffron for color and scent
Regarding Garnish:
- Slices of fresh fruit, such as orange, strawberry, or mango
- Coconut grated (to roll)
- Rose petals or optionally mint leaves for garnish
- Optional garnish of chopped almonds or pistachios
Easy Recipe for Fruit-Flavored Chamomile
Step 1: Prepare the Cottage Cheese, or Chhena.
- Boil the Milk: In a heavy-bottomed pan, begin by heating one liter of full-fat milk. To keep the milk from sticking to the bottom, stir constantly. Reduce the heat as soon as it boils.
- Curdle the Milk: Stir gently and gradually add 1 tsp of vinegar or lemon juice to the heating milk. The milk will start to separate into liquid whey and firm curds. When the milk has thickened and curdled, turn off the heat.
- Drain the Curds: To separate the solid chhena from the liquid whey, pour the curds and whey through a fine strainer or cotton cloth. Shake the chhena with cold water to get rid of any last traces of sourness.
- Hang the Chhena : To drain the remaining whey, tie the muslin cloth and hang it for approximately half an hour. The chhena should be somewhat damp, but not drenched.
- Knead the Chhena: After draining, knead the chhena for ten to fifteen minutes, or until it softens and becomes smooth. It ought to be simple to shape. You can add a small amount of cornflour or all-purpose flour (maida) for extra binding if the chhena feels too sticky.
Step 2: Construct the Cham Cham
- Get the Dough Ready: To the kneaded chhena, add a pinch of baking soda (optional) and cardamom powder. Again, knead for a few minutes, or until all the ingredients are fully combined and smooth.
- Form the Cham Cham : Separate the dough into little pieces between one and one and a half to one and a half inches long. Make sure the pieces are uniformly sized for even cooking as you shape them into oval or cylindrical shapes.
Step 3: Construct the Syrup
- Get the Sugar Syrup Ready: Put one and a half cups sugar and two cups water in a pan. After bringing to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for around five minutes.
- Add Fruit Puree: After the syrup is heated through, stir in your preferred fruit puree. Use fresh, ripe mangoes or mango pulp for mango. Puree fresh strawberries until they are smooth, as for strawberry. Use some blended pulp or fresh orange juice for orange.
- Mango Cham Cham: For a taste of the tropics, use pureed mango.
- Strawberry Cham Cham: For a tart and sweet flavor, use fresh strawberry puree.
- Orange Cham Cham: A zesty and reviving twist can be added using fresh orange juice or pulp.
- Add Optional Ingredients: For added taste and scent, feel free to add a few crushed cardamom pods and saffron strands.
- Simmer: To further meld the flavors, allow the syrup and fruit puree to simmer for a few more minutes. The syrup is done when it begins to smell fruity.
Cook the Cham Cham in the Fruit Syrup (Step 4)
- Cook the Cham Cham : Place the formed pieces of Cham Cham into the fruit syrup that is cooking. Cook them for 20 to 25 minutes on low heat with a lid on the pan. As the Cham Chams soften and absorb the syrup, you’ll watch them puff up.
- Turn the Cham Cham: To make sure the pieces cook through, turn them gently after 10 to 12 minutes. As the Cham Chams absorb the fruity syrup, they will swell and get soft and spongy.
- Let Them Soak: After the cham cham is cooked, remove from the fire and leave it in the syrup for ten to fifteen more minutes so the flavors of the fruit may thoroughly infuse and the cham cham become even softer.
Step 5: Present and Garnish
- Roll in Coconut: For extra texture and flavor, roll the Cham Chams in either freshly grated coconut or desiccated coconut after they have cooled and absorbed the syrup. Although optional, this stage provides a pleasing contrast to the delicate texture of the Cham Cham.
- Garnish with Fruit: To add a stunning visual touch and a blast of flavor, top the Cham Cham with slices of fresh fruit such as oranges, strawberries, or mango. To further accentuate the elegance of the presentation, you could also use mint leaves or rose petals as decorations.
- Serve : You can serve your Fruit-Flavored Cham Cham cold or warm. They will keep soft and tasty in the refrigerator for two to three days if you put them in an airtight container.
Advice for the Best Fruit-Flavored Chai
- Use Fresh Fruit Purees: Always use fresh fruit purees rather than store-bought varieties for the best flavor. This guarantees a bright and authentic fruit flavor.
- Don’t Overcook: To keep the cham cham soft and spongy, cook them slowly over low heat. They might become chewy or hard from overcooking.
- Uniform Size: To guarantee that the Cham Chams cook in the syrup consistently, shape them evenly.
- Try Different Fruits: To make interesting versions of this dish, try blueberry, kiwi, apple, or even pomegranate fruit tastes.
Thickness of Syrup: You can add arrowroot or cornflour to the syrup if you’d like it thicker, but don’t add too much as you want the syrup to stay thin.
Final Thoughts
The traditional Bengali dessert is given a novel and revitalizing twist with Fruit-Flavored Cham Cham. Fruit purees give natural, delicious flavors to the dish and give the classic recipe a fresh twist when combined with syrup. This version, whether you pick for the mango, strawberry, or orange flavor, is ideal for barbecues, get-togethers with the family, or anytime you want a tasty and refreshing treat.
Play around with your favorite fruits and savor the lovely contrast between the sweetness of fruit syrup and the soft, spongy Cham Cham. This dessert is guaranteed to delight all palates, making it an immediate favorite at any gathering!
