Sandesh — Fresh Chhana Sweet

Name: Sandesh — Fresh Chhana Sweet
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: Bengali
Ingredients: 1.5 l Full fat milk; 45 ml lemon juice or vinegar; 100 g Powdered sugar; 2 g green cardamom powder; 50 g nolen gur (date-palm jaggery); 0.2 g saffron strands; 15 g pistachios

A delicate, lightly sweetened fresh chhana sweet, cooked briefly and shaped by hand or mould — one of Bengal's most refined confections.

🇮🇳India· West Bengal

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 45 min
Servings: 10
Difficulty: Medium
Calories: 120 kcal

Ingredients

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Servings

1½ l Full fat milk
45 ml lemon juice or vinegar — diluted in water, for curdling
100 g Powdered sugar
2 g green cardamom powder
50 g nolen gur (date-palm jaggery) — for jaggery variation, optional
¼ g saffron strands — optional, for colour
15 g pistachios — chopped, for garnish

Equipment

•Muslin cloth
•Heavy pan
•Sweet moulds (optional)

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 120 kcal
fat: 4 g
carbs: 16 g
fibre: 0 g
protein: 4 g
calories: 120 kcal

Instructions

1
Bring the milk to a boil. Slowly add diluted lemon juice, stirring gently until it separates into chhana (fresh cottage cheese) and watery whey.
2
Pour through a muslin cloth to strain. Rinse the chhana well under cold water to wash away the sour taste.
3
Hang the cloth to drain for 20–25 minutes until the curds are moist but not dripping wet.
4
Knead the chhana on a clean surface for 10 minutes. Stop when it feels completely smooth and slightly oily.
5
Put the kneaded chhana and powdered sugar into a heavy pan. Cook on very low heat, stirring constantly, for 5–7 minutes until it pulls away from the sides.
6
Take the pan off the heat straight away. Stir in cardamom powder, or nolen gur (date palm jaggery) for a jaggery version.
7
Shape the warm, soft mixture into small discs. You can also press it into decorative moulds.
8
Top with chopped pistachios or a strand of saffron. Let the sweets cool completely before serving.

Chef's tips

Cook the chhana and sugar on very low heat and take it off the stove quickly. Even one extra minute makes the sandesh hard and grainy. Shape the mixture quickly while it is still warm and soft.

Ingredient substitutions

powdered sugar → nolen gur for a seasonal winter jaggery sandesh

Storage

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Reheating

Not applicable; served at room temperature or chilled.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Cooking the chhana mixture for too long, which makes it hard and crumbly instead of soft.
•Not kneading the fresh curds enough before cooking, leaving the sweets grainy.