If you have ever been to Odisha or known anyone from there then you would have definitely heard them raving about this sweet dish Chenna Poda (Meaning Burnt Cottage Cheese Cake) . This is one sweet dish of Odisha that is just not available in its authentic form anywhere else on Earth. And for a long long time I never thought that this can ever be made at home and still taste as authentic or at least close to it!

Although there are many recipes of this dish over the internet here is my version of the recipe in which you do not need any oven or make-shift oven or any other special dried leaves to burn the cheese. You can very well make this sweet dish in your very own pressure cooker and still enjoy the taste in all its authenticity. So without further ado let’s get started 😊.

Ingredients (Prep time 25 min | Cooking time 20 min | Total time taken 45 min) :

– 2 Litre Milk

– 1 cup sugar (75 gm)

– 1 tbsp lemon juice

– 2 tbsp white vinegar

– 4 tbsp Suji/ Semolina

– 12-14 cashews

– 4 Cardamoms

– 1 tbsp ghee

– Curdled Water extracted from milk during the cottage cheese making process as described below

Recipe:

1. Pour the milk into a sauce pan and heat it at high flame till the milk boils and rises. Switch off the stove. Pour the vinegar + lemon juice into the hot milk little by little and mix with the help of a ladle till the milk curdles up and water separates completely.

If the curdling doesn’t happen add more vinegar + lemon juice in the ratio of 2:1.

2. Separate the chenna/cottage cheese from the water using a strainer. Be careful as the curdled water will be hot. Keep aside the water for later use.

You need not drain the water from the cheese using a cloth. Use a spoon and try to strain as much water as possible by pressing the cheese against the strainer. Empty the cheese from the strainer into a bowl.

3. Add the Suji/Semolina to the cheese. Add the sugar to the bowl as well. Using a spoon mix all the ingredients well. Try to mash the cheese as much as possible while mixing. Set aside the bowl for the mixture to set in for 15 min.

4. Meanwhile crush the cardamom seeds and keep it aside.

5. Crush the cashews to small pieces. Take 1 big tbsp of ghee (be generous) in a non-stick pan and fry the cashews in the ghee till they turn golden brown in color. Remove the fried cashews to a tumbler.

6. To the same non-stick pan add 2 tbsp sugar to the leftover ghee in the pan and fry at low flame till the sugar dissolves and turns light brown in color. As soon as the sugar caramelizes add 5 – 6 tbsp of the curdled water and stir continuously till it turns syrupy and foamy.

Pour the syrup into the bowl with the cheese mixture. Take care to pour the syrup immediately after it forms and mix it well with the mixture in the bowl. Do not let the syrup cool down or else it will form a thick paste of caramelized sugar.

7. Add the crushed cardamom and the fried cashews to the cheese mixture in the bowl. Mix all the ingredients well. If you feel that the batter is becoming too dry add 1-2 tbsp of the curdled water and mix well till a smooth mixture is formed. The batter should neither be too watery / runny nor be too dry.

Taste the batter at this stage. If you need it to be more sweet you can add more sugar to the batter.

8. Take a pressure cooker and grease the cooker well inside (sides and bottom) with 2 tbsp of ghee. Heat the cooker at high flame for a minute.

Pour the batter into the cooker. With the help of a ladle smoothen out the batter inside.

Remove the gasket and the weight from the cooker’s lid and place the lid. Cook at low flame for 10 min. Open the lid after 10 min and do a quick check. Place the lid back and check for the crust every 5 min.

The Sweet Dish should almost look like a soft cheese cake. The sides and the bottom will develop a nice dark brown crust. The top of the cake should not look completely white or moist. A light brownish shaded crust should develop on the surface. This entire process normally shouldn’t exceed 15 – 20 min depending on the size of the cooker.

Once you observe a light brown shade crust on the surface turn off the stove and remove the lid of the cooker. Leave it to cool down completely.

Using a knife cut the Chenna Poda into triangular pieces and remove onto a plate. Relish the super delicious sweet dish of Odisha with a smile.