A delicious Odisha-special chhena poda with ricotta cheese, and that’s what I am going to share today. Here is my version of the popular chhena poda – the Indian ricotta Cheesecake!
I am back with a ricotta cheese recipe this year. It has become a norm for me to make milk sweets with ricotta cheese every year. So far, I have shared rasmalai, sondesh, kalakand, and bhapa sandesh with ricotta cheese, and this year it is the Odisha special chhena poda.
Jump to:
- What is chhena poda?
- Variation 1 – Strained the ricotta cheese and used roasted semolina.
- Variation 2 – Unstrained ricotta cheese with sugar and fine roasted semolina.
- Variation 3 – Unstrained ricotta cheese with jaggery and unroasted fine semolina.
- How to make chhena poda – the eggless Indian Cheesecake?
- Recipe Notes
- Indian Sweet Recipes with Ricotta Cheese
- 📖 Recipe
What is chhena poda?
It is a popular sweet dish from the state of Odisha in India. As Wikipedia put’s it, Chhena poda means Roasted Cheese in Odia, the language spoken in Odisha. Traditionally chhena poda is prepared with homemade fresh cheese or the chhena and sugar. It is then baked for several hours until it browns.
I used ricotta cheese and jaggery for my recipe. :-) I got to know about this dish from my friend, and I have wanted to try it for a long time. Finally, this year got a chance to make it many times, and super excited to share it on my blog. My version is not the traditional or the authentic one but a delicious and quick one.
The main thing about this recipe is you can’t go wrong with it, and it is very forgiving. I have played with the ingredients like using sugar instead of jaggery and strained ricotta cheese instead of using it directly and using different semolina/sooji varieties. And all the time I got a delicious cake without any fail. The baking temperature, of course, varies but other than that, no issues.
Here are some of the variations I tried and the baking temperatures. PS- The baking time slightly with different ovens, and the timing depends on factors like the cake pan color, materials, etc. So keep an eye on the cheesecake after 45 minutes.
Variation 1 – Strained the ricotta cheese and used roasted semolina.
I made this the first time by straining the ricotta cheese and used the not-so-fine roasted rava or the semolina. As I strained the ricotta cheese, the batter was pretty thick, and with 40 minutes of baking, the cake was ready. The semolina that I used gave it a slightly coarse texture, but taste-wise, it was terrific.
Variation 2 – Unstrained ricotta cheese with sugar and fine roasted semolina.
The next time I did not strain the cheese and also used sugar. I also used fine roasted semolina. After mixing the cheese and sugar, it was more like cake batter in the pourable consistency. But I had to bake it for 55 to 60 minutes. The top layer was still white even after 60 minutes of baking. But once it is cooled down, it became firm. It was juicy and sweeter. M liked it very much. Here is the image.
Variation 3 – Unstrained ricotta cheese with jaggery and unroasted fine semolina.
Ok, this time, I tried again with unstrained ricotta cheese but with jaggery and unroasted fine semolina. As we are trying to include more jaggery, I decided to go with jaggery. I am sharing this version of the chhena poda here on the blog today. As I didn’t strain the cheese, I ended up baking it for 45 minutes and turned off the oven but let the cake sit in the residual heat for 10 minutes. You can bake up to 55 minutes but not more than that for this measure.
In all the above variations, taste-wise, the cake was fabulous. The texture and the firmness of the cake slightly differ; you can try the variations and pick your personal favorite. Be it any version; I can assure the deliciousness for sure.
How to make chhena poda – the eggless Indian Cheesecake?
- Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.
- In a mixing bowl, add the ricotta cheese and mix it well. I did not strain the water, and I used the ricotta cheese directly from the box.
- Add the powdered jaggery, semolina, rose essence, and ground cardamom.
- Mix all the ingredients until they are well combined.
- Grease a cake pan with ghee and line the bottom of the pan with the parchment paper if using. I used my 6-inch round cake pan.
- Pour the ricotta cheese batter into the cake pan using a rubber spatula. As we are using jaggery, the consistency will be thick. And it won’t be in the pouring consistency. So use a spatula to scrape the bowl clean. Tap the cake pan gently so that there aren’t any air pockets and even the cake top layer with the spatula.
- Now bake this for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake center comes out clean without any runny batter. It’s ok if the toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs clinging to it. Here is my cake after 45 minutes and I turned off the oven but let it sit in the residual heat for 10 minutes. You can bake up to 55 minutes but not more than that for this measure.
- Allow it cool completely for one hour. Run a knife around the cake’s edges and gently flip the cake over on a plate. Remove the parchment paper.
- Gently flip it again. Slice the cake and serve.
Recipe Notes
- This chhena poda is one forgiving cheesecake recipe. But don’t miss all my attempts on the blog post.
- The baking time differs slightly with different ovens, and the timing depends on factors like the cake pan color, materials, etc. So keep an eye on the cheesecake after 45 minutes. Again this is roasted cheesecake, so an extra 5 to 10 minutes of baking will not ruin the cake and taste.
- I recommend medium to fine semolina variety for this chhena poda. The big upma variety ones stand out. Again it’s a personal preference.
- You can use any flavorings of your choice. I went with cardamom powder and rose essence.
Indian Sweet Recipes with Ricotta Cheese
PS: If you try this ricotta cheesecake, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it asap. Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas! Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more gardening and recipe updates! You can also sign-up for my newsletter for weekly updates.
📖 Recipe
Chhena Poda | Ricotta Cheese Chhena Poda | Indian Cheesecake
Equipment
- cake pan
- conventional oven
Ingredients
Measurement Details: 1 cup=240ml; 1 tbsp=15ml; 1tsp=5ml;
- 12 oz ricotta cheese full-fat cheese
- ½ cup powdered jaggery I used the Punjabi Shakar
- 1.5 tbsp semolina roasted or unroasted (fine texture is preferable)
- ⅛ tsp rose essence optional
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp ghee melted, to grease the cake pan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. In a mixing bowl, add the ricotta cheese and mix it well. I did not strain the water, and I used the ricotta cheese directly from the box.
- Add the powdered jaggery, semolina, rose essence, and ground cardamom.
- Mix all the ingredients until they are well combined.
- Grease a cake pan with ghee and line the bottom of the pan with the parchment paper if using. I used my 6-inch round cake pan.
- Pour the ricotta cheese batter into the cake pan using a rubber spatula. As we are using jaggery, the consistency will be thick. And it won’t be in the pouring consistency. So use a spatula to scrape the bowl clean. Tap the cake pan gently so that there aren’t any air pockets and even the cake top layer with the spatula.
- Now bake this for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake center comes out clean without any runny batter. It’s ok if the toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs clinging to it. Here is my cake after 45 minutes and I turned off the oven but let it sit in the residual heat for 10 minutes. You can bake up to 55 minutes but not more than that for this measure.
- Allow it cool completely for one hour. Run a knife around the cake’s edges and gently flip the cake over on a plate. Remove the parchment paper.
- Gently flip it again. Slice the cake and serve.
Notes
- This chhena poda is one forgiving cheesecake recipe. But don’t miss all my attempts on the blog post.
- The baking time differs slightly with different ovens, and the timing depends on factors like the cake pan color, materials, etc. So keep an eye on the cheesecake after 45 minutes. Again this is roasted cheesecake, so an extra 5 to 10 minutes of baking will not ruin the cake and taste.
- I recommend medium to fine semolina variety for this chhena poda. The big upma variety ones stand out. Again it’s a personal preference.
- You can use any flavorings of your choice. I went with cardamom powder and rose essence.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
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