Chhena Jhili, an Odia sweet
Chhena Jhili, a signature Odia sweet dish is from Nimapada in Puri district of Odisha. This is is prepared by deep frying small chhena shapes and then soaked in cardamom flavored sugar syrup.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Chhena
- 2 tsp All purpose flour (maida)
- 1 tsp Powdered sugar
- ½ tsp Cardamom powder
- 1 pinch Baking soda
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 1 cup Water
- 2-3 no. Cardamom pod (crushed)
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
- In a pan, take granulated sugar along with water.
- Turn on heat and allow the sugar to melt completely over medium-high mode.
- Then add crushed cardamom pods and boil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes more or until the syrup turns slightly sticky. Do not make 1-string consistency.
- Turn off the heat and keep aside the sugar syrup.
- Now in a plate, first take fresh chhena and start kneading using heal of your plam for 10-12 minutes till a smooth texture dough comes out.
- Into that, add maida (all purpose flour) along with powdered sugar, cardamom powder and baking soda.
- Mix again and knead a bit till everything incorporates pretty well.
- Meanwhile heat oil in a deep pan for frying.
- Then make balls of 1 tbsp chhena dough. Keep aside the balls in the plate and cover the plate.
- Pick 1 ball first, roll as a log of 3 inch approximately. Then join both end of the log gently, keep in a plate.
- Make similar shapes from rest of the balls and arrange over the plate.
- Deep fry them in batches till golden brown in color over medium heat.
- After frying, immediately drop into warm sugar syrup.
- Keep aside for 2-3 hours, all the fried chhena jhili will soak the syrup and become super soft.
- Serve simply as it is or sprinkle some finely chopped dryfruits !
Notes
- While deep frying, do not overcrowd the pan with so many chhena jhilis.
- Always deep fry in batches, and this depends upon the size of the pan.
- Instead of maida, semolina can be used too.
- Kneading the chhena is a crucial part, else there is always crack while shaping the chhena jhili. With the heel of your palm, knead chhena for at least 10 minutes, and then add the rest ingredients into it.
- Prefer to use fresh homemade chhena. Check here How To Make Homemade Chhena.