Chhena Poda (Baked Cottage Cheese Cake)

Chhena Poda/ Baked Cottage cheese cake

Chhena Poda is a traditional dessert from the state of Odisha. As the name suggests, chhena means cottage cheese and poda means roasted. It is made out of freshly prepared cottage cheese and baked to perfection with sugar, semolina cardamom powder. The flavor predominantly comes from the caramelization of sugar. 

It is said to have originated from the Nayagarh town of Odisha. And over the years, it got slowly popular across the state. The simplicity and ease by which this recipe is made and yet has bountiful of flavors, makes this dessert so special and popular. Traditionally it is made on a layer of Sal leaves which gives the dessert a distinct flavor. However it can also be made without the leaves in a baking tin or pan.

This delectable dessert is loved by all and is usually prepared during festivals and auspicious occasions. It is also Lord Jagganath's favorite. Hence it is among the "Chappan Bhog" offered at the Jagganath Puri temple.

 So without much ado, let us get started with this easy and mouth melting dessert.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 60 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

·         2 litres full cream milk

·         2-3 tbsp lemon juice or 1/4 tsp citric acid

·         3/4 cup sugar

·         2 tablespoon semolina/ suji

·         2-3 tbsp ghee 

·         4 tbsp whey (Yellowish liquid separated from chhena/ cottage cheese)

·         1 tsp cardamom powder

·         6-8 cashew nuts, roughly chopped

·         Few raisins

·         2 tbsp  sugar for making caramel

Method:

1. Place the milk in a sauce pan and heat on medium flame until it boils. Now add lemon juice or citric acid little by little while stirring the milk. 

2. The milk will curdle and you will notice the chhena or cottage cheese separating and leaving behind the yellowish whey matter. Strain using a muslin cloth lined colander to collect the chhena. Collect the whey in a container placed below the colander. Lift the cloth from all sides to gather the chhena and squeeze it gently to remove excess of whey. Now rinse the chhena under running water while in cloth, to remove the traces of lemon juice. Squeeze from all sides to remove as much liquid as you can from the chhena. 2 liter full cream milk yields about 2 cups of chhena. 

3. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. Meanwhile grease an 8 inch round cake tin with ghee and set aside. Place the fresh chhena in a mixing bowl. Add sugar, semolina, cardamom powder to the chhena. With clean hands, knead it for 3-4 minutes or until it becomes soft. To this mixture add about 4 tbsp whey liquid to adjust it into a batter like consistency.  Add the chopped cashews and raisins to the batter and mix well with a spoon or whisker.

4. Now to make the caramel, add 2 tablespoon sugar to the greased cake tin. Heat it on a stove top until the sugar melts and starts become golden brown in color. Now tilt the pan to all sides or use a spatula to spread the caramel so that the caramel spreads to all sides. 

5. Pour the batter on this caramel layer and tap the cake tin a few times so that it levels and removes air bubbles if any. Now place the tin in the preheated oven.

6. Bake for 40 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius or until it is browned. Make sure to keep checking during the final stages to avoid burning. To check if it is done, insert a toothpick or knife. If it comes out clean the chhena poda is ready, if it comes out sticky, bake for another 5 minutes.  Allow the chhena poda to cool down in room temperature.

7. Now loosen the sides of the tin with a knife and invert the cake gently on a plate. Chhena poda is ready with a moist caramel layer on top. Cut into pieces and serve immediately or refrigerate to enjoy it cool.

Tips:

• Make chhena poda using fresh homemade chhena as store bought will not give desired results and authentic taste.   
• Adjust the sweetness as per your taste. 
• If lemon juice is not available then you can use vinegar too. 
• Rinsing the chhena in water helps to get rid of the traces of lemon or vinegar from the chhena.
• Chhena poda does not have a long shelf life so refrigerate to store it for a day or two. 
• Remove the chhena poda from the pan after it has cooled down as it is very delicate or else it may break. 
• Whey (yellow liquid separated from chhena) is nutritious and can be used to prepare  dough for roti or paratha. It can also be used in dals or gravies.

Do try this easy recipe and give your suggestions and feedback in the comment section below.