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chhena poda slice on the plate

Chhena Poda / Easy Indian Cheesecake

By Jigna
Chhena Poda, an easy Indian cheesecake, is delicious, super moist, delicate, and melts in the mouth. It is one of the most straightforward recipes but incredibly delightful.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Cuisine Indian, Odisha
Course Dessert
Diet Eggless, Vegetarian
Servings 10

Ingredients
  

For Chhena

  • 2 liter (8 cups) full-fat milk
  • 4 tablespoon white vinegar or lime juice (may need more or less)

For Chhena Poda

  • Prepared Chhena
  • ½ cup raw cane sugar or white sugar
  • 2 tablespoon semolina (Rava / Suji)
  • 4-6 tablespoon milk
  • Few strands of saffron
  • 2-3 drops of Rose essence or 1 teaspoon Rosewater
  • Pinch of Cardamom powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 8-10 Pistachios chopped for garnishing

Instructions
 

Making Chhena

  • Bring 2 Litre of milk to boil in a thick bottom pan, stirring continuously.
  • Once it starts boiling, turn off the heat. Then, add white vinegar or lime juice.
  • The milk will be curdled, and greenish whey will be separated. Pour this curdled milk into a pan lined with a clean cotton or muslin cloth. Also, we can strain through the strainer with tiny pores.
  • Now pour some cold water onto this chhena to wash out the taste of vinegar. Do not pour too much water. Gently squeeze out the water. Do not squeeze too much, as the chhena for this recipe should be moist. Let the chhena cool enough to handle.

Making Chhena Poda

  • Dissolve the saffron strands in a few drops of water and set the mixture aside.
  • In a mixing bowl, mash the chhena with your hands and knead it until smooth. There should be no lumps or big crumbs remaining in the chhena.
  • Add sugar and semolina into the smoothen chhena, and mix well with your hands. The mixture will start getting light and wet, like a paste. It will be sticky but continue mixing for 3-4 minutes until you get the very soft mixture.
  • Now add dissolved saffron, cardamom powder, rose essence or Rosewater, and a pinch of salt. Mix well.
  • Add milk, first add a tablespoon milk and then continue adding as needed. The batter should not be very thin or too thick. It will be like a thick cake batter but soft and very light.
  • I needed to add 5 tablespoon of milk. So depending on your batter consistency, add more or less.
  • Mix well, cover the bowl and rest it for at least 15 minutes.
  • Prepare 6 - inch round baking pan, grease with ghee or butter, and line the bottom with parchment paper. Also, grease parchment paper lightly.
  • Preheat the oven to 350° F.
  • After 15 minutes, stir the batter and recheck the consistency. Because of resting time, semolina will soak some of the moisture and will be puffed up. So if needed, add extra milk, maybe a tablespoon. Mix well.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle chopped pistachio on the top of the batter.
  • Bake this cake for 40-60 minutes. The time largely varies because it mainly depends on the batter’s consistency, and because each oven is different, baking time may vary.
  • So make sure to keep an eye on the cake after 30 minutes. Bake it until the skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • I had to bake my cake for 55 minutes.
  • Let the cake cool into the pan on a wire rack. After the cake cools, remove it gently from the baking pan. Remove the parchment paper. Slice and enjoy the cake.

Serving and Storing Suggestions

  • Chhena Poda is best served on its own. Or, to make it more decadent, serve it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
  • This easy Indian Cheese Cake is best served on the same day. But this cake stays at room temperature for only a day in a cool place.
  • However, if you want to keep it for a more extended time, keep it tightly covered and place it in the fridge. It will stay in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Notes

  1. Milk For Chhena: If you have 2% or 3.25% milk, use 1 Litre of it and add 1 Litre of 10% cream to make chhena. Combining cream with low-fat milk will ensure creamy chhena. Do not use low-fat milk only to make chhena; the cake will not be soft and creamy.
  2. Chhena: With 2 Litre of milk, I got 2 cups of chhena. The quantity may differ a little bit, depending on milk quality.
  3. Sugar: ½ Cup of sugar was good enough for me to make Chhena Poda. It was moderately sweet. But add more or less sugar as per your preference. Also, you can use raw sugar, regular white sugar, or jaggery powder.
  4. Milk For Chhena Poda: I have added 5 tablespoon of milk to get the right consistency of the batter. You may need to add more or less. Don’t add all the milk at first; add little by little until you get the right consistency.

Nutrition (Approximate Values)

Calories : 170kcalCarbohydrates : 22gProtein : 7gFat : 7gSaturated Fat : 4gPolyunsaturated Fat : 1gMonounsaturated Fat : 2gCholesterol : 21mgSodium : 89mgPotassium : 281mgFiber : 1gSugar : 20gVitamin A : 334IUCalcium : 233mgIron : 1mg
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