← Nouns Cooking · Indian

Ingredients

• 1 l full-fat milk
• 2 tbsp lemon juice, mixed with 2 tbsp water
• 45 g powdered or icing sugar
• ¼ tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tbsp Pistachios, finely chopped, to decorate
• 1 pinch Saffron (optional)

Method

1. Bring the milk to the boil in a heavy pan, turn off the heat and wait 1 minute. Add the diluted lemon juice a little at a time, stirring gently, until the milk splits into soft white curds and clear, greenish whey.
2. Pour through a muslin-lined sieve, rinse the curds under cold water to wash away the lemon, then gather the cloth, squeeze lightly and hang it for 45 min, until the chenna is moist but no longer dripping.
3. Crumble the chenna onto a clean surface and knead with the heel of your hand for 4–5 min, until smooth and creamy. Work in the sugar.
4. Put the mixture in a non-stick pan over low heat and stir constantly for 5–6 min, until it just comes together into a soft mass that leaves the sides of the pan. Don’t overcook or it will turn crumbly and dry.
5. Tip onto a plate, add the cardamom and cool for 10 min until warm. Knead briefly, divide into 7 balls and press each into a smooth disc or mould.
6. Press pistachios (and a strand of saffron) into the tops. Chill for 15 min to set, and eat within 2 days, kept in the fridge.

Tips

• Squeezing too hard or hanging the chenna too long makes it dry; it should feel like soft, damp ricotta.
• Bengali cooks often swap the sugar for nolen gur (date-palm jaggery) in winter.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Hebbar's Kitchen Cook With Manali