Originating from the state of Odisha, chhena poda is one of India’s most underrated desserts, and it needs to be better known. It’s soft, texturally smooth, and will melt easily in the mouth. It’s made from chhena, or the Indian version of cottage cheese, and is a delectable dessert. But making it can be slightly tricky. You will need to pay sharp attention to the details and be mindful the whole time. But don't fret too much. With this guide, you’re going to do just fine. Just be sure not to skip any steps or do anything differently for now. Once you’ve got the hang of it, you can start experimenting on your own. But for now, don't miss any key steps and you should do just fine.
Ingredients:
- 250 gms paneer or chenna
- 125 gms sugar or ½ cup jaggery powder
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- ½ tablespoon Rice Flour
- cashews and raisins
- 2 teaspoons Ghee or as needed for greasing tray/pan
Directions:
- The first thing you have to do is line a baking pan with some chopped banana leaves. Grease the leaves with ghee. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Take the fresh chhena and crumble it well in a bowl, crushing it with your fingers and dropping it in.
- Now add the sugar or jaggery to the bowl too. Use your hands to thoroughly mix the chhena and sugar together. Ensure you’ve washed your hands before and that they are completely clean. Once the sugar is well incorporated, instead of mixing, you can start kneading the mixture like you would with chapati dough. The goal is to make the mixture loose and light. It should have a consistency similar to a cake batter, since the chhena will extract natural fats. If you feel like the mixture is too dry, add a few spoons of water, but add them one at a time, always checking the consistency. Remember, the lighter and softer the consistency in this step, the better your final chhena poda will taste.
- Once you’re happy with the consistency, add the cardamom powder and rice flour. Also add the chopped nuts like cashews, almonds and raisins, if using. This is where you can add flavours if you want to, like rose water or saffron. Or add dry fruits like figs and dates. Fold all these ingredients in and gently mix so that it is all well incorporated.
- Now transfer this mixture to the prepared pan, using the back of a spoon to level it. Make sure it has spread throughout the pan.
- Now bake the chhena poda for about 40 minutes. The time might vary slightly depending on the machine you're using. But essentially you want a dark, golden colour on the top. Once this top crust is done, you know your chhena poda has baked.
- Remove from the oven and check with a toothpick. It should come out clean, with no sticky batter on it. At room temperature, let it cool completely. Then transfer to a serving plate.
- Leftover chhena poda can be stored in the fridge for about 3 days.
Notes, tips and tricks:
- If you don't have banana leaves to line the baking pan, you can just use butter paper or parchment paper instead. If you don't have those either, simply grease the pan itself with a generous amount of ghee.
- You can make the chhena at home if you don't have any. Simply take some milk and add lemon juice or vinegar to it. This will make the milk curdle and create chhena. Use a muslin cloth to strain out the liquid and collect and shape the chhena in the cloth. Be sure to squeeze and remove any excess liquid.
- Depending on availability, use a fine sugar powder instead of big grains, so that mixing it with the chhena becomes easier.
- In case you don't have rice flour, you can also use sooji or rava to make the dish.
- For those who don't want to bake it, you can put the chhena poda in a pressure cooker and let it cook on medium heat for 45 minutes without any whistles.
- If you want to make more or less, you can easily halve or double the recipe.