Chenna Poda

A delightful cottage cheese aka Paneer dessert. It's light and mildly sweet.
Chenna Poda is a very traditional dessert from the state of Odisha. When a member shared it in  one of the food groups that I follow, I wanted to try it immediately.
Since my husband and I have a sweet tooth, I am always on the lookout for simple, light and mildly sweet desserts.
It's best to use fresh homemade Paneer for this dessert. You can increase the quantity of Jaggery if you like it sweeter.

For 250 gms of Paneer you will need 1.5 lit. of milk.
Do try it. You won't be disappointed.
RC: Ashish Panda

Ingredients
Chenna (Paneer)              250 gms
Jaggery pd                         6 tbsp + 2 tsp
Semolina                            2 tbsp
Cashew                               1 tbsp
Raisins                                1 tbsp
Cardamom pd                   1/2 tsp
Ghee                                    1 1/2 tsp
Water                                  1 tbsp
Vinegar                               1 tbsp

Method

1. Heat a tsp of ghee and fry cashew nuts and raisins until golden.
2. Remove them on a paper towel.
3. Heat the milk in  a heavy bottom pan.
4. Once it reaches a boil, lower the flame, and add a tbsp of vinegar.
5. Stir, you will see the milk curdling.
6. Place a colander over a bowl and pour the curdled milk.
7. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Don't squeeze the Paneer. We want the Paneer to be juicy, so a little bit of whey will be helpful.
8. Now mash the Paneer with the heel of your palm till it becomes smooth.
9. Add in semolina and Jaggery pd.
10. Knead well again.
11. Mix in cardamom pd and half of the nuts.
12. In the pan in which you had fried nuts, add a few drops of ghee and 2 tsp of Jaggery pd.
13. As soon as the Jaggery pd starts melting add a tbsp of water.
14. Heat it till it thickens a little.
15. Now pour it in two ramekins, swirl so that it coats the bottom fully.
16. Place the fried cashews and raisins.
17. Divide the Paneer mixture into two.
18. Roll into smooth balls.
19. Place them in the ramekins, press lightly.
20. Cover them with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes.
21. Insert a toothpick, if it comes out clean, remove them else bake for a few more minutes.
22. Let them cool for a while, then refrigerate for an hour.
23. Carefully unmold on a platter, slice and serve.

Notes: Don't throw away the whey. Use it in gravies, soups or for kneading dough.