Delicious Bengali Dessert - Chanar payesh

 

Hello readers,

       Yesterday I got to know about a food contest in" Foodies bee hive" so I thought why don't I share one of my mother's dessert recipe " Chanar payesh" " Chana" means cottage cheese, cooked in milk. So let's start!

Ingredients:-

1. Full cream Milk- 1 lite.+ 500 ml.

2. Fresh cream- 1/2 cup.

3. Lemon juice- 1 tbsp( or as required).

4. Sugar - 1 cup+ 2 tbsp + 1 tsp.

5. Water- 5 cups.

6. All purpose flour- 1 tsp.

7. Milk Powder- 5 tbsp.

8. Green Cardamom- 4-5  pods.

9. Baking powder- 1/8 tsp.

Preparation Method:- 

Step 1- Take a heavy bottom vessel add 1 litre milk bring it to boil, once milk start boiling add 1/2 cup cream into it and stir well and boil for 5 minutes, turn off flame.

Step 2- Now add lemon juice and keep stirring (if required can add more lemon juice), once milk solids gets separates from the whey strain it through strainer. Transfer the curdled milk into a bowl and Rinse well for few times.

Step 3- Lined  a muslin cloth  over the strainer and transfer the curdled milk into it, now tie up the cloth to make a cheese pouch and hang the pouch for 2-3 hours. It will help to squeeze extra water from chena/paneer.

Step 4- After 2 hours Take a heavy bottom vessel add 5 cups water with 1 cup of sugar and 2-3 green cardamom ,place it on high heat and stir to dissolve sugar and keep boiling until sugar mixed well . Turn off flame.

Step 5-  Remove the cheese cloth from the paneer,transfer it on a plate . Now add 1 tsp all purpose flour, 1 tsp sugar, 1/8 tsp baking powder with paneer and rub it well with your palm for 5-6 minutes to get smooth dough.

Step 6- Take pinch marble sized chana(cottage cheese) and make dumplings out of it and set aside.

Step 7- Return the sugar syrup on the high heat, once syrup will start boiling add cottage cheese dumplings into it and let the dumplings boil for 5 minutes. 

Step 8- After 5 minutes strain the syrup through strainer, keep aside the dumplings.

Step 9- Take another heavy bottom vessel and add 500 ml milk into it , let the milk boil ,once milk will start boiling take out 1 cup of milk  and add milk powder into this milk mix well and transfer this milk back to the vessel. Cook the milk until little thickened.

Step 10- Now add 2 tbsp sugar (or as per your choice) into the boiling milk and transfer the cheese dumplings. Add 2-3 green cardamom (crushed), cook for 5-6 minutes or until your desire consistency.

Step 11- Garnish with dry fruits and serve chilled.( I didn't used dry fruits because my mother told me once you add dry fruits into it original taste disappeared).