Chhena Poda Recipe

Ingredients:

• Fresh cheese: 1 kg
• Sugar: 400-450 gm
• Semolina (Suji / Rawa): 50-75 gm
• Cashew nuts: 200-250 gm
• Raisins (Kishmish): 50-75 gm
• Green cardamom (Elaichi): 12-15 pcs, powdered
• Deshi ghee: 150-200 gm

Method for chenna poda  :- 

• To make fresh cheese you need 4-5 litre milk and 2-3 tbsp curd.
• Boil milk and add the curd. Let it boil till cheese and water starts separating. Simmer till water quantity reduces to more than half.
• Drain excess water by putting a lid over the container.
• Fry cashew nuts and Kishmish lightly in ghee till light brown. Keep aside.
• Take a big bowl. Mix cheese, sugar, semolina.
• Add roasted cashew nuts, raisins and cardamom powder.
• Knead to make soft dough. If you can make little balls out of it then it is ready to be baked.
• Warn a baking tray.
• Line the base and sides of the tray with ghee.
• Put banana leafs (or Shal tree leafs – Shorea robusta) cut neatly to fit the inside of the tray.
• Again, brush the leaf cover with ghee.
• Sprinkle some sugar in the ghee-brushed leaf-coated tray all around to caramelise the Chhena Poda.
• Pour the dough in the tray. Spread evenly and put to bake.