Sharing Jaggery Chenna Poda Recipe, one of my most favourite Odiya Desserts. Odisha’s very own Cheesecake with a smoky flavour and delectable texture.
What is Chenna Poda
Chenna Poda is a Cheesecake originated in Nayagarh town of Odisha.Traditionally cooked on an earthen stove , the grainy texture of this cheesecake will surely impress you.
The Chenna mixture is slow cooked for hours wrapped in Sal Leaves. The result is pure bliss. Chenna means Cheese and Poda means Burnt !
Jaggery Chenna Poda Recipe
I have shared before Chenna Poda Recipe with sugar. This Recipe is with Jaggery.You need Jaggery powdered to prepare this.
That amazing rich caramel of Jaggery makes this Cheesecake a winner !
Making Chenna Or Soft Cottage Cheese for Chenna Poda
Chenna is the soft cheese you get after curdling the cow milk. You need to use Full Fat Milk to get a good amount of Chenna.
I got around 260 gm Chenna from 1.5 ltr Cow Milk. To get a soft Chenna , you need to follow these steps.
Boil the Milk at medium flame. Once it starts boiling, switch off the flame.Wait for 3-4 minutes and add lemon juice or Vinegar little by little.
Once you notice the soft cheese getting separated from the whey ( milky water ), stop adding lemon juice.See the below photograph.
Use a Muslim cloth and collect the Chenna . Squeeze out the whey water .
You need to wash the Chenna tied in the Cloth with water once . It helps to remove the sourness of lemon.
Squeeze the water completely again and take out the Chenna to a plate.See the beauty below in the picture.
You may like to check Recipe for Instant Gulkand Kalakand using Chenna
Jaggery Chenna Poda
Once you have the soft Cottage Cheese , next steps are really easy to follow. All you need to do is mix everything except whey with hand or a spoon .
If you find the mixture is dry , add whey or warm milk. Remember only if the mixture is dry you need to add whey.
I have added 2 tbsp whey to the mixture which I got after curdling the milk.
You need to pre heat Oven at 200 degree C for 10 minutes. I used fresh Banana leaf to line my Cake tin ( not easy to get Sal leaves ) . After that I greased the leaf with Ghee or Clarified butter. You can use butter , but Ghee is used traditionally.
You can bake without lining a banana leaf too.A little addition of semolina adds more texture to the grainy cheesecake.
Baking Tips for Jaggery Chenna Poda Recipe
The baking time for me was 25-30 minutes. I suggest you to do the toothpick test after 25 minutes .Because every Oven or OTG acts different.I use OTG.
The last 5 minutes , I baked the cake with the top filament ON. I got a nice golden colour on top.
Once you are done with the baking , leave Chenna Poda in the tin for 15 minutes. Demold carefully .
The bottom side looks really nice. Remove the banana leaf and let the bottom face upwards .Slice a piece of Joy !
Consume in a day. This cheesecake can not be stored in refrigerator.
Check this Video by Saswati..Our Lockdown Life
| Prep Time | 5 Minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 Minutes |
| Servings |
Cake
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Ingredients
- 250 gm Soft Cottage Cheese Or Chenna
- 1 cup jaggery powder
- 1 tbsp green-cardamom powder
- 2 tbsp semolina
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 tsp clarified butter
- Whey Optional
Ingredients
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Instructions
- In a bowl, mix everything except whey.
- If the mixture is dry , add whey. I added around 2 tbsp .
- Pre heat Oven at 200 degree C for 10 minutes .Prepare a 6 inch cake tin.
- Line the tin with banana leaf ( it’s optional). Grease the leaf with Ghee.
- Transfer the Chenna mixture to the tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes until it’s done.
- Let it cool in the tin for 15-20 minutes. Demold and slice.
