Chenna Payesh - of a kind

Chenna Payesh
A friend had bought over a dessert for a potluck, it was made from chenna (fresh unripened curd cheese). So it was a block of chenna, topped with pistachio slivers, set in some sweetened milk. This is what I tried to recreate in my recipe here. I could not get in touch with her before attempting it, so I thought I'd google and get it. But all recipes pointed out to chenna payesh, and so that is what it ended up to be.

Ingredients:

  1. 1 Litre milk for making chenna
  2. 3/4th litre of milk to be reduced for the payasam
  3. Lime juice or vinegar - 2-3 spoons (to curdle the milk)
  4. Sugar - 4 spoons fine sugar for the chenna
  5. Sugar - 4-5 spoons for the payasam
  6. Safrron strands
    7. Making the payesh
  7. Pistachhio slivers


Method for making payesh:

  • Heat the milk for about 30 minutes or so on a slow-to medium flame to reduce it and make it to a thick consistency.
  • Keep stirring intermittently so it does not burn.
  • Add the sugar and the saffron to it.



Curdling the milk
Method for making chenna:

  • In another saucepan, bring the milk to a boil.
  • Add lime juice or vinegar (whatever you are using) to curdle the milk
  • Once the milk is curdled, strain it through a cheese cloth placed over a sieve to separate the whey from the cheese.
  • Now wrap the ends of the cheese cloth over the cheese,  run it through cold water to remove the lemon juice flavour.
  • Then twist it around tightly to remove extra water and also weigh it with a heavy utensil or any other weight for the same
    • Smooth chenna after kneading
    Straining the chenna
  • After 15-20 minutes, first crumble the cheese mixture, add the sugar and knead it to a smooth dough-like consistency for 5-6 minutes.


Assembly:

  • Once the chenna is ready, add the chenna in little bits to the payesh mixture and stir.
  • Reduce the flame or close it totally if the payesh is still warm.
  • Stir in the chenna, add pistachios on top.


(P.S. I had tried to keep the chenna as a cake (trying to reconstruct the way I had eaten it first) but it was too soft and crumbled, so ultimately I mixed it this way)



Chenna cake in payesh (Mine was very crumbly)



First posted at IndianMomsConnect here.



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