Chhena Poda(Cheese Desert)

Chhena poda  is the quintessential cheese dessert from the state of Odisha in eastern India and one of my most favourite sweets.. Chhena poda literally means burnt cheese in Odia. It is made of well-kneaded homemade cottage cheese or chhena, sugar, cashew nuts and raisins, and is baked for several hours until it browns. Chhena poda is the only well known Indian dessert whose flavor is predominantly derived from the caramelization of sugar.



It is said that Chhenapoda originated in the Orissan town of Nayagarh in the first half of the twentieth century. The owner of a confectionery, a certain Bidyadhar Sahoo decided to add sugar and seasonings to leftover cottage cheese one night, and leave it in an oven that was still warm from earlier use. The next day, he was pleasantly surprised to find out what a scrumptious dessert he had created. Chhena poda soon became popular throughout Odisha. Today, it is also made in West Bengal and elsewhere in India.





Ingredients



3 cups(850 gms) cottage cheese(chenna)(or home made cheese)

3 tbsp semolina (sooji)

1 cup sugar(chini)

½ cup brown sugar/Jaggery (guda)

1 teaspoon cardamom powder(gujarati)

8 pieces roasted cashew nuts (kaju)

15 raisins (kismis)

100 gms ghee/butter-unsalted (optional)







Method



Mix the cottage cheese,semolina, sugar and brown sugar in a big bowl.

Use a mixer to make a smooth batter.

Then add ghee/ butter  (optional).

Mix it again; add cardamom powder, roasted cashew nuts, and raisins to the smooth batter.

Pre heat the oven at 350 ºC, grease the container with butter/ghee and pour the smooth batter to the container.

Bake the cheese for 40-45 mins until the top turns light brown in color at 350 ºC .

Take out the container and allow it to cool down. Cut into pieces and serve.





Note:- Adding brown sugar or jaggery gives a typical authentic look and taste to the chenna podo.

While cooling down the chenna podo, make sure to cover the container , so that the chenna podo will remain moist.