Chhena Poda Or Baked Cottage Cheese

Chhena poda or baked cottage cheese cake.

Yes a cake but you don’t need flour or baking powder to make it.

Chhena poda is a dessert made of cottage cheese from Odisha. Its literally means roasted cheese in Odia language.

Its a very delicious baked dessert, made of fresh cottage cheese or chhena/paneer sugar, cardamom, cashew nuts and raisins. Flavour of cardamom and caramelised sugar made this dessert heavenly.

This week’s 122nd #Foodiemonday bloghop theme is #Odiacuisine.

My contribution is this delicious chhena poda. Adopted the recipe from my fellow blogger and a dear friend Alka Jena who blog at

Culinaryxpress

Visit her blog for many amazing recipes. Thanks Alka for the suggestions.

To make this chhena poda or baked cottage cheese better use homemade fresh cottage cheese or paneer. Its very easy to make. Just blend cottage cheese, sugar, cardamom powder, little milk or whey, cashew nuts and raisins till smooth and bake with caramelised sugar syrup.

Recipe
Paneer or cottage cheese – 2 cup, crumbled

Sugar – 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoon

Cardamom powder – 1 teaspoon

Cashew nuts – 2 tablespoon

Raisins – 2 tablespoon

Milk or whey – 4 tablespoon

Ghee or butter for greasing

Sugar for caramelization

Pistachio to garnish

 

Method

1. Preheat the oven at 180°.

2. Fry cashew nuts and raisins lightly.

3. Blend paneer or cottage cheese, sugar and cardamom powder. Mix well.

4. Add milk or remaining whey of paneer. Blend till the mixture becomes smooth. Taste and adjust sugar if required. I like less sweet.

5. Add fried cashew nuts and raisins. Mix well.

6. Grease a baking pan with ghee or butter. Spread 1 tablespoon sugar and heat the pan till sugar caramelise.

When sugar caramelised switch off the flame.

7. Tilt the pan to spread the caramelised syrup all over the base.

8. Pour the paneer mixture over it.

Spread evenly with a spoon or spatula.

9. Bake in a preheated oven at 180° for 35 – 45 minutes.

10. To check insert a toothpick in the middle. If the toothpick comes out clean chhena poda is ready.

11. Take out the pan when hot and invert it on a plate to take out.

If it becomes cold sugar syrup at base will be hard and it will be difficult to come out intact.

12. Garnish with pistachio. Serve delicious chhena poda or baked cottage cheese hot or cold.

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