Chhena Podaଛେନା ପୋଡ଼
Video: Chef Ranveer Brar (YouTube)
Chhena Poda is Odisha's most iconic sweet — fresh cottage cheese blended with sugar, semolina, and cardamom, then slow-cooked in a covered pot until the base caramelizes to a deep amber crust. The name means literally burnt cheese, and that intentional darkening on the bottom is the whole point: it delivers a slightly bitter edge that makes the milky interior taste sweeter by contrast. Made traditionally in a covered clay or iron vessel on an open flame, no oven is needed — just patience and a low, steady heat.
📍 Make it in Plano
This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.
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Ingredients
- ▪fresh chhena (homemade cottage cheese, drained)500 g
- ▪sugar150 g (¾ cup)
- ▪fine semolina (suji)2 tbsp
- ▪green cardamom, seeds ground5 pods
- ▪clarified butter (ghee), for greasing1 tbsp
- ▪cashew nuts, roughly chopped2 tbsp
- ▪raisins (kismis)1 tbsp
- ▪banana leaf or parchment paper, for lining1 sheet
- If fresh chhena is unavailable, use well-drained ricotta cheese. Press it overnight in a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth to remove moisture before kneading.
- The tawa-under-vessel trick is what prevents burning without an oven. Outside India, a cast-iron skillet on an induction burner set to its lowest setting works just as well.
- Semolina stabilises the batter so it holds its shape when inverted. If unavailable, substitute with one teaspoon of all-purpose flour.
Method
- 1Knead the fresh chhena on a flat surface for 8–10 minutes until completely smooth and no longer grainy. Any remaining whey in the mass causes cracking, so be thorough.
- 2Mix in the sugar, semolina, and cardamom powder. Continue kneading for 3–4 minutes until the mixture is uniform. Fold in the cashews and raisins.
- 3Grease a heavy iron kadai, a thick-bottomed aluminium vessel, or a clay pot with ghee. Line the base and sides with a banana leaf cut to fit, or with parchment paper.
- 4Pour the chhena mixture in and smooth the top. Cover tightly with a heavy lid. Place the vessel on a tawa (griddle) over the lowest possible flame — this buffer prevents the base from burning before the centre sets.
- 5Cook undisturbed for 45–55 minutes. The chhena poda is ready when a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean and the edges have pulled away slightly from the sides.
- 6Allow to cool in the vessel for 20 minutes before inverting onto a plate. The base, now the top, should be a deep amber-brown. Serve at room temperature — it tastes best an hour after unmoulding, when the caramel scent fully develops.
A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.