Bengali Sweets (Misti): Traditional Bengali Mithai Recipes 🍬🍯
Bengali sweets (mishti) are famous for their rich flavors, delicate textures, and use of ingredients like milk, jaggery, and cardamom. From Rasgulla to Sandesh and Kheer, there are numerous varieties of sweets in Bengali cuisine. Here, I’ll guide you through a simple yet beloved Misti recipe: Chhena Poda (Baked Sweet Cheese) — a classic and popular Bengali sweet.
Chhena Poda (Baked Sweet Cheese) Banano: Dorkar Upokoron:
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Full Cream Milk – 1 liter 🧴
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Lemon Juice (or Vinegar) – 2-3 tbsp 🍋
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Sugar – 1 cup (for the sweet) 🍬
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Cardamom Powder – 1/2 tsp 🌿
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Cashews (Kaju) – 1/4 cup 🍂 (optional, for garnish)
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Raisins (Kismis) – 1/4 cup 🍇 (optional)
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Baking Powder – 1/4 tsp (for texture) 🍞
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Ghee (Clarified Butter) – 1 tbsp (for greasing) 🧈
Chhena Poda (Baked Sweet Cheese) Bananor Paddhoti:
1. Prepare the Chhena (Paneer):
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Boil the Milk: Shuru te, full cream milk ke ekta boro pata (pan) e rekhe garm kore, boilo den. 🧴
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Curdle the Milk: Jakhon dudh garom hoye jabe, tarpor lemon juice (or vinegar) diye dudh ta curdle hote din. 🍋
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Strain the Chhena: Chhena banano hoye gele, cheesecloth e dudh ta filter kore, jeno extra whey pani ber hoye jai. Pore, chhena ke ektu thanda hote den. 🧀
2. Make the Sweet Mixture:
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Ekta boro bowl e chhena, sugar, cardamom powder, baking powder diye bhalo kore mix korben. 🧀🍬🌿
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Apni chaile, raisin (kismis) o cashew (kaju) diye sweetness aro increase korte paren. 🍇🍂
3. Grease the Baking Pan:
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Ekta baking dish ba cake tin e ghee (clarified butter) lagaye, bhalo kore grease kore rakhben. 🧈
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Ekhon, chhena sweet mixture ta bhalo kore pour korben. 📤
4. Bake the Chhena Poda:
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Oven ke 180°C (350°F) e preheat kore, 30-40 minute porjonto, golden brown hobe ebong center set hobe, shei porjonto bake korun. 🔥
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Baking hole, chhena poda ke dhire dhire cool hote den.
5. Serve:
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Chhena Poda ke garam ba thanda, kono ta slice kore serve korun. 🍰