Chhena Poda
Odisha's baked cheesecake: fresh chhena and sugar caramelised until the top is almost burnt
Allergens in Chhena Poda: milk, gluten, tree nuts.
Ingredients
Quantities for 6.
- 2 litres full fat Milk
- 2, juiced Lemon
- 3/4 cup Sugar
- 2 tbsp Rava
- 1/2 tsp Cardamom
- 2 tbsp Cashewoptional
- 2 tbsp Raisinsoptional
- 2 tbsp Ghee
- 2 tbsp, for caramel Sugarseparate from the sugar aboveoptional
Cookware
oven
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Poda means burnt. The dark, almost-scorched top is the dish, not a mistake. Pull it out pale and it is just baked cheese.
- Chhena for this should be soft and moist. Unlike rasgulla, do not hang it dry.
Method
- Curdle the milk with lemon juice, strain through muslin and rinse briefly. Hang only 20 minutes. It should stay moist.
- Knead the chhena smooth, then work in the sugar, rava, cardamom, nuts and raisins. Rest 15 minutes so the rava swells.
- Caramelise the 2 tbsp sugar in a ghee-greased tin and let it set at the bottom.Traditionally the batter sits on a lining of sal leaves, which is where the smoky note comes from.
- Pour in the batter and bake at 180C for 50-60 minutes, until the top is deep brown to nearly black and a skewer comes out clean.Go further than instinct says. Brown is not enough.
- Cool completely in the tin (at least 2 hours) before turning out.
- Serve at room temperature in wedges.
Storage
Keeps 3 days refrigerated and firms as it sits. Bring back to room temperature before serving; cold chhena poda tastes flat.
Nutrition Low estimate
One serving of Chhena Poda (395 g) is about 425 calories, or 108 calories per 100 g.
Medium protein: 13 g a serving, 12% of the calories
| Per serving395 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 425 kcal | 108 kcal |
| Protein | 12.6 g | 3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 56.0 g | 14 g |
| of which sugars | 50.9 g | 13 g |
| Fibre | 0.6 g | 0 g |
| Fat | 17.8 g | 4 g |
| of which saturated | 9.4 g | 2 g |
| of which unsaturated | 6.5 g | 2 g |
Whey poured away when the milk is curdled means much of the weighed input is never eaten, so the real figures are likely lower. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Vegetarian Indian recipes · No onion no garlic recipes · Odia recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.