Bhubaneswar: Gone are the days when Odia sweet dishes were under-rated and poorly marketed. Over the years, Odisha’s sweet dishes are getting global recognition. As April 11 is celebrated as Chhena Poda Diwas, let’s learn about the history of Odisha’s very own cheesecake and its recipe.
Chenna Poda, the Odia cheesecake is known for its blend of sweet, rich, and slightly smoky notes. The sugar that is caramelised due to the slow roasting process creates a deep dark texture and taste to the dish.
In Odia, ‘Poda’ denotes roasted or burnt, while ‘Chhena’ is a translation for cottage cheese. It is believed that Chhena was brought to Bengal by the Portuguese traders who landed around the region of Bandel – a little North of Kolkata – and from there, it spread to parts of eastern India.
History
The sweet dish has been originated in Dasapalla village in 1947 by Late Sudarsan Sahu. He decided to preserve the sweetened Chenna in a preheated oven which later turned out to be a delicious dessert. Since then, the recipe has taken over all over India. Without exaggeration, it can be said that Sahu gave the cardamom-scented cottage cheesecake a distinct aroma by baking it wrapped in sal leaves.
Notably, Sahu died at the age of 86 on November 24, 2016, due to old age-related ailments.
Thanks to Sahu, Chhena Poda has become the state’s most well-known sweetmeat and the star dessert among Odia sweet foods. The sweetmeat is also offered to Lord Jagannath and His siblings.
The signature sweet dish of Sahu became so popular that it was even praised by then-Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
Odias chose April 11 as the date to commemorate the dessert’s creator’s birth anniversary.
Recipe
To make the dish, one needs 3 cups paneer, 1/2 cup raisins, 2 tablespoons ghee, 1 cup sugar, 4 tablespoons semolina, 1/2 handful cashews and 1/4 teaspoon powdered green cardamom.
To start with, put a deep-bottomed pan on medium flame and melt ghee in it. Once the ghee is melted, fry cashews in it. Transfer these fried cashews to a plate covered with absorbent paper to absorb the extra oil and keep aside.
Next, take a dough-kneading plate and add semolina and paneer to it. Mix the ingredients well for 2-4 minutes and then, add 1/2 cup sugar and crushed nuts. Mix well.
Now, place small bowls in a baking tray and add a little ghee along with sugar in each bowl. Add the paneer and semolina mixture to the bowls and spread the mixture evenly with the help of a spatula. Cover the pan with foil paper and bake for 30-40 minutes.
Chhena Poda is ready, garnish with cardamom powder and serve warm.
