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Chhena poda
Baked cheese cake
ଛେନା ପୋଡ · Nayagarh's caramel-crusted baked chhena cake
Chhena poda means 'burnt cheese', and it is Odisha's most famous sweet. It was first made in Nayagarh district, where a sweet maker is said to have left chhena and sugar overnight in a cooling wood oven. Fresh chhena is kneaded with sugar, a spoon of rice flour or semolina, and cardamom, then baked slowly until the outside caramelises into a dark, sticky crust and the inside stays moist and fudgy. It is offered to Lord Jagannath and sold in slabs at every Odia sweet shop. Chef's tip: line the tin with ghee-brushed banana leaf if you can; it adds the smoky note of the original.
- Total time
- 105 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the chhena
- 2 litres whole milk
- 5 tbsp white vinegar or lemon juicemixed with 5 tbsp water
For the cake
- 5 ½ oz sugar
- 2 tbsp fine rice flouror fine semolina, which is not gluten free
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 2 tbsp gheemelted, plus extra for the tin
- ⅔ oz cashewschopped
- ⅔ oz raisins
- 1 piece banana leafto line the tin
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Bring 2 litres whole milk to the boil, remove from the heat and stir in the 5 tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice mixture a spoon at a time until the milk splits into curds and clear whey. Drain through muslin, rinse with cold water and squeeze. Hang for 30 minutes; it should be moist but not wet.
40 minStep 2: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Grease a 18 cm round cake tin with ghee and line with 1 piece banana leaf if using.
Step 3: Crumble the chhena into a bowl and knead with the heel of your hand for 5 minutes until smooth. Add 5 ½ oz sugar, 2 tbsp fine rice flour, ½ tsp ground cardamom, 2 tbsp ghee, ⅔ oz cashews and ⅔ oz raisins and mix well. The mixture will turn soft and loose as the sugar melts; that is right.
Step 4: Spread into the tin and smooth the top. Bake for 60–70 minutes until the top and sides are a deep caramel-brown and the cake has pulled away from the tin. Common mistake: taking it out when only golden; the burnt-sugar crust is the whole point.
70 minStep 5: Cool in the tin for at least 2 hours so it firms up, then turn out and cut into wedges. Keeps 3 days in the fridge; it tastes even better the next day.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chhena poda take?
- About 105 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 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.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of white vinegar or lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
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