Chenna is the base for many delicious and varies Bengali sweets like rasgulla, rasmalai, sandesh, etc. The process of making chenna is identical to making paneer at home, you just stop short of pressing the cheese with weights to make it firmer. Both TH and I love Bengali sweets since they are so heavily milk-based and this year, what with us being in a new country and all, I decided to make some quick and easy sweets for diwali that we both enjoy.
Choosing the right type of milk is very important for making chenna or paneer at home. If possible, find non-homogenised, full-cream cow's milk. If you have made paneer before and know that the milk you buy works, then go ahead since the process, as mentioned, is identical. However, chenna is best used as soon as it's made and converted into sweets rather than freezing, etc. This is because chenna has a much smoother texture which may get compromised if you freeze it for a long time and we need it to soak up other flavours when making sweets like rasgulla and sandesh.
So my word of advice? Plan how much chenna you need and make only the sufficient amount, quickly turning it into whatever you desire. It's hard to go wrong with your sweet recipe if you start with a delicious mound of fresh, homemade chenna! Check out a full list of Diwali Recipes here.
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Makes 1 cup chenna
INGREDIENTS:
500 milk of full fat milk
3 tbsp of lime juice (see notes)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Bring the milk to a rolling boil and then lower flame to simmer.
2. Add 2 tbsp of the lime juice and stir gently.
You will find that the cheese starts separating from the whey. The whey needs to turn a clear, faint green. If it still seems milky, add some more lime juice. I needed the full 3 tbsp.
3. When the cheese has completely separated (should take about 2-3 mins on very low flame), turn off heat and pour into a colander lined with a cheese cloth or clean cotton cloth.
4. Gather the ends and squeeze tightly. Take care though, the chenna inside will be extremely hot. Run this under some cold water at the sink. This step is to remove the flavour the lime juice imparts to the cheese.
5. Tie the cloth ends to the tap and let the remaining whey and water drip off. I left it like this for about 30 mins.
6. Transfer the chenna into a wide bowl or plate and knead well with your fingertips.
The crumbliness will soon give way to a smooth consistency. The chenna won't be sticky at any point. Gather together into a ball and proceed to make whatever sweet you have in mind for this Diwali festival season.
NOTES:
- Ever since Anu gave me this tip, I had started using only buttermilk for separating milk to make paneer and chenna. I didn't have any in hand this time so used lime juice. If you use buttermilk, there's absolutely no other flavour in the chenna except the milkiness which would you expect. For 500 ml milk, I'd use about 1/4 to 1/3 cup buttermilk
- Use the chenna immediately in your sweets recipes. This channar payesh is a great way of using up fresh chenna.
For chenna recipe in Hindi, Urdu, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, etc, please use the Google Translate button on the sidebar.
Choosing the right type of milk is very important for making chenna or paneer at home. If possible, find non-homogenised, full-cream cow's milk. If you have made paneer before and know that the milk you buy works, then go ahead since the process, as mentioned, is identical. However, chenna is best used as soon as it's made and converted into sweets rather than freezing, etc. This is because chenna has a much smoother texture which may get compromised if you freeze it for a long time and we need it to soak up other flavours when making sweets like rasgulla and sandesh.
{Check out my easy 10-min Rasmalai recipe}
So my word of advice? Plan how much chenna you need and make only the sufficient amount, quickly turning it into whatever you desire. It's hard to go wrong with your sweet recipe if you start with a delicious mound of fresh, homemade chenna! Check out a full list of Diwali Recipes here.
{Have some extra chenna in hand? Make this delicious Channar Payesh in 15 mins}
HOW TO MAKE CHENNA FROM MILK
Preparation time: 15 minutesCooking time: 15 minutes
Makes 1 cup chenna
INGREDIENTS:
500 milk of full fat milk
3 tbsp of lime juice (see notes)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Bring the milk to a rolling boil and then lower flame to simmer.
2. Add 2 tbsp of the lime juice and stir gently.
You will find that the cheese starts separating from the whey. The whey needs to turn a clear, faint green. If it still seems milky, add some more lime juice. I needed the full 3 tbsp.
3. When the cheese has completely separated (should take about 2-3 mins on very low flame), turn off heat and pour into a colander lined with a cheese cloth or clean cotton cloth.
4. Gather the ends and squeeze tightly. Take care though, the chenna inside will be extremely hot. Run this under some cold water at the sink. This step is to remove the flavour the lime juice imparts to the cheese.
5. Tie the cloth ends to the tap and let the remaining whey and water drip off. I left it like this for about 30 mins.
6. Transfer the chenna into a wide bowl or plate and knead well with your fingertips.
The crumbliness will soon give way to a smooth consistency. The chenna won't be sticky at any point. Gather together into a ball and proceed to make whatever sweet you have in mind for this Diwali festival season.
NOTES:
- Ever since Anu gave me this tip, I had started using only buttermilk for separating milk to make paneer and chenna. I didn't have any in hand this time so used lime juice. If you use buttermilk, there's absolutely no other flavour in the chenna except the milkiness which would you expect. For 500 ml milk, I'd use about 1/4 to 1/3 cup buttermilk
- Use the chenna immediately in your sweets recipes. This channar payesh is a great way of using up fresh chenna.
For chenna recipe in Hindi, Urdu, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, etc, please use the Google Translate button on the sidebar.
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