Chhena Poda — baked Odia cheese dessert

i. Origin & history

Chhena poda was reportedly invented in the early twentieth century in Nayagarh, Odisha, by the confectioner Sudarshan Sahoo, who left a fresh batch of chhena mixed with sugar in his hot oven overnight by accident. The result was the new sweet that now defines the state.

ii. Ingredients

Makes 12 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 1 litre whole milk (chhena)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 200 g sugar
• 2 tbsp fine semolina
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 2 tbsp chopped cashews
• 2 tbsp raisins
• 60 g ghee, melted
• 2 tbsp ghee for the tin

iii. Method

1. Make chhena from milk and lemon juice; drain in muslin; squeeze well.
2. Knead chhena with sugar, semolina, cardamom, melted ghee, cashews and raisins for 5 minutes to a smooth paste.
3. Grease a 22 cm round tin generously with ghee. Sprinkle with a little sugar (this caramelises against the cheese as it bakes).
4. Press the chhena mixture in; smooth top.
5. Bake at 180 °C for 55-65 min until the top is deeply browned, almost black at the edges, and the centre is just set. Cool fully before turning out and slicing.

iv. Tips & common mistakes

• Use the freshest ingredients you can. The recipe relies on them.
• Read the method through first. Several steps must be ready in advance.
• Season patiently. Sweetness and salt are tuned at the end, not the start.

v. Variations

Modern chhena poda sometimes adds saffron or rose. Mango chhena poda folds in mango pulp. The closely-related chhena gaja uses the same chhena, dipped in syrup rather than baked.

vii. More from Indian & South Asian

• Sandesh — Bengali fresh-cheese sweet
• Rasmalai — cheese discs in cream
• Rasgulla — cheese balls in syrup
• Mishti Doi — Bengali sweet yoghurt
• Bebinca — Goan layered coconut cake
• Kasekuchen — German baked cheesecake