Chhena is fresh, unripened curd cheese made from milk.
It is made by boiling milk and then curdling it with a small amount of whey.
The resulting coagulated component is collected and wrapped in cheesecloth, strained and beaten thoroughly, until it becomes quite firm.
This mixture is kneaded well before use, so that it acquires a very soft and smooth consistency.
It is created in a similar process to paneer except it is not pressed for as long.
Chhena is an important ingredient for many desserts such as Ras malai, Chhena Jalebi, Rasgulla , Pantua , Sandesh etc.
In this post we will see how to prepare Chenna.
NOTE:
Chenna as such is not a standalone Dessert item.
But its a key ingredient for many delicious dessert items.
But you can directly eat fresh chenna also. Its very nutritious.
INGREDIENTS
Utensils: Pan, Strainer or Colander, Muslin (Suti Cloth) or Cheese Cloth.
It is made by boiling milk and then curdling it with a small amount of whey.
The resulting coagulated component is collected and wrapped in cheesecloth, strained and beaten thoroughly, until it becomes quite firm.
This mixture is kneaded well before use, so that it acquires a very soft and smooth consistency.
It is created in a similar process to paneer except it is not pressed for as long.
Chhena is an important ingredient for many desserts such as Ras malai, Chhena Jalebi, Rasgulla , Pantua , Sandesh etc.
In this post we will see how to prepare Chenna.
NOTE:
Chenna as such is not a standalone Dessert item.
But its a key ingredient for many delicious dessert items.
But you can directly eat fresh chenna also. Its very nutritious.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 Litre Cow Milk
- 3 Tablespoon Lemon Juice or 1 Tablespoon Citric Acid
Utensils: Pan, Strainer or Colander, Muslin (Suti Cloth) or Cheese Cloth.
DIRECTION
- Take 1 litre of milk in a pan and keep it to boil on a low to medium flame. We can either use cow or buffalo milk. But before proceeding to make Chenna we should remove the layer of malai/cream/chali which accumulates at the top of milk after cooling. Buffalo milk has more fat and hence more cream.
- Keep on stirring the milk at frequent intervals to avoid both froth formation and sticking of milk at bottom.
- When the milk comes to a boil, then reduce the flame to its lowest. Add 2-3 tbsp lemon juice or 1 tablespoon citric acid. You can start with 2 tbsp. lemon juice at first and if still the milk has not curdled completely, then only add 1 tbsp. more. Stir the milk after adding lemon juice. Quantity of lemon juice can vary based on the quality of milk
- Once the milk curdles , stop the flame , and you could see separate milk curdle and light greenish watery whey.(Remnant liquid)
- Take a colander or strainer and put muslin cloth on top of it.
- Now pour the curdled milk in the muslin which is kept on top of strainer. Whey will be drained out through muslin cloth and pass out through the strainer.
- Take out the muslin holding properly along with curdled milk and rinse the coagulated milk solid with running water . This is a necessary step to remove the sourness of lemon.
- Hold the muslin firmly and squeeze it with your hands very well, so that excess water is drained from the chenna. Chenna will not be spongy if it has more water.
- Place some heavy weight item (like Stone Grinder/Okhal) on the chenna for approx. 10-12 minutes. Alternatively you can also hang the chenna for about 30 minutes along with muslin
- After 10 to 12 minutes, remove the muslin/Suti cloth from the chenna.
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