Chhena Poda, a cheese dessert from the Indian state of Odisha, is made of well-kneaded homemade fresh cheese chhena, sugar, semolina and baked for several hours until it browns.
Chhena Poda literally means baked cheese in Odia. The dessert was invented by Sudarsan Sahu, post 1947, after he set up a hotel in the village of Dashapalla and began experimenting with leftover cottage cheese.
Grease a rectangular baking tray with 1 tsp ghee.
Boil 1 litre milk. When it gets warm, add 1 tsp white vinegar. Stir and when the milk curdles, switch off the flame.
Strain the cottage cheese using a large strainer or a muslin cloth. Save 1 cup of the whey water. Put the cottage cheese into a large mixing bowl.
Add 4 tbs semolina and 3 tbs powdered jaggery or soft brown sugar. Add a pinch of baking soda.
Then add 1 tsp powdered cardamom and a tbs of chopped nuts (pistachios, almonds or cashews) Add a few raisins too.
Knead the mix well adding the whey water and a dollop of ghee. Then pack onto the greasy tray and level the top with a spatula.
Bake for 25-35 minutes until the top turns golden brown. Cut and serve for tea or as a snack.
By Christ & Co.
