Caramelized Odia baked cheese cake of fresh cow's chhena, semolina, sugar, ghee, and cardamom baked with a charred crust.
Snack · 20 min prep · 50 min cook · serves 6 Newly added
Ingredients
Preparation
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Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
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Place the moist fresh chhena on a wide tray; crumble with your hands.
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Add the fine semolina (sooji), remaining sugar (minus 2 tablespoons), melted ghee, cardamom powder, chopped cashews, and golden raisins.
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Knead the mixture with the heels of your hands for 6 to 8 minutes into a soft, airy, slightly loose paste.
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Heat a round 7-inch cake tin or cast-iron pan over medium flame; add the reserved 2 tablespoons of sugar with 1 teaspoon of water.
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Swirl the pan as the sugar melts and caramelizes into a deep dark amber syrup, coating the bottom evenly; remove from the heat.
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Transfer the kneaded chhena mixture into the prepared caramel-coated tin, pressing down lightly to level the surface.
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Bake in the preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 45 to 50 minutes.
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The chhena poda is done when a knife inserted into the center emerges clean and the top forms a dark, glossy, caramelized crust.
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Remove from the oven and cool completely in the pan for at least 1 hour so the cheesecake sets.
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Invert onto a plate, slice into thick wedges, and serve.
In the tradition
Chhena Poda (‘burnt cheese’) was born in the temple heartland of Odisha. Traditionally wrapped in fresh sal leaves and buried beneath glowing charcoal embers overnight in the village hearths, the exterior milk sugars caramelize into a smoky, dark brown crust while preserving a moist, sweet crumb within.
Sources & further reading
- Jagannath Temple Rosaghara / Odia Tradition (Traditional Nayagarh and Puri Mahaprasad Archive)
Classical citations mark where a tradition is drawn on; modern books are shared as further reading, not as prescriptions.