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Chhena kheeri
Fresh cheese in sweet milk
ଛେନା କ୍ଷୀରି: crumbled fresh chhena simmered in sweetened, reduced milk with cardamom
Chhena kheeri is one of the dishes of the Jagannath temple's chhappan bhog in Puri, and Odia households make it for festivals, birthdays and the evening Rath Yatra meal. Soft, freshly made chhena is crumbled into milk that has been simmered down until creamy and sweet, then scented with cardamom and a little camphor in temple style, or simply nutmeg at home. The common mistake is adding the chhena too early and boiling it hard, which makes it rubbery; it should go in at the end and simmer only briefly. Chef's tip: crumble the chhena by hand into pieces the size of rice grains, so every spoonful has some.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the chhena
- 4 ¼ cups full-fat milk
- 2 tbsp lemon juicemixed with 2 tbsp water
For the kheeri
- 4 ¼ cups full-fat milk
- 3 ½ oz sugar
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ⅔ oz cashewschopped
- ½ oz raisins
- 1 tsp ghee
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (2)
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Boil 4 ¼ cups full-fat milk, cool 1 minute and stir in 2 tbsp lemon juice until it splits. Strain through muslin, rinse with cold water and squeeze lightly; the chhena should be moist, not dry. Crumble finely.
20 minStep 2: Simmer 4 ¼ cups full-fat milk in a heavy, wide pan over medium-low heat for 25–30 minutes, scraping the sides, until reduced by about half and creamy.
30 minStep 3: Stir in 3 ½ oz sugar until dissolved, then add the crumbled chhena and simmer gently for 4–5 minutes.
5 minStep 4: Fry ⅔ oz cashews and ½ oz raisins in 1 tsp ghee for 1 minute until the cashews are golden and the raisins puff. Add to the kheeri with ½ tsp ground cardamom. Serve warm or chilled.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chhena kheeri take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of full-fat milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
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