Chhena Poda (Paneer Cake) - For my 2nd blog anniversary

Today is my blog's 2nd year anniversary and I am so happy about it. I want to thank all the blogger/non-blogger friends and followers, without whom, I would have not continued this blog. Also a special thanks to my Mom, who takes care of my 2 little kids, when i sit in blog. (Though she shouts at me sometimes, when I say plz.... she leaves me and take care of my kids.... Mom is always Mom).

For this blog anniversary, I thought of doing something special...(what-else nothing but a sweet... but not a regular one... ) Saw many our blogger friends doing Chenna Poda last month for the ICC challenge. It was a very new recipe for me and finally decided to make this and it came out good.

Ingredients

• Milk - 2 litres ( I used full cream milk)
• Lemon juice/Vinegar - 2 tsp
• Semolina/Rawai/sooji - 1/4 cup
• Raisins - 3 tsp
• Cashews and Pistachios - 2 tsp
• Milk - 1/2 cup
• Ghee - 4 tsp
• Sugar - 1 cup + 1/4 cup
• Water - 2 tsp

Method

• Boil the milk and when it is boiling, add the lemon juice/vinegar.
• The milk gets curdled and strain the curdled milk in a muslin cloth and add plenty of water to remove the sourness of the lemon.
• Allow the water to drain from the chhena/paneer for 1 hr. or keep a heavy bottomed pan on this cloth for 30 min or till most of the water drains from the chhena (paneer) (its nothing but preparing paneer - crumbled paneer).

• To the chhena, add the rawa/semolina/sooji, sugar and 2 tsp of ghee and mix well.

• Meanwhile, in a small pan, add 1 tsp of ghee and fry the cashews, pistachios and raisins till golden brown colour and pour to the chenna mixture.
• Add the milk and mix well, to form a dough.

• In order to prepare the caramel, 2 ways can be choosen (this is a bit tricky part)

                  1. In a pan, add 1/4 sugar and water and bring to single thread consistency and pour immediately to the greased (with 1 tsp ghee) baking pan and spread it.

                  2. Add the 1 tsp ghee, water and sugar to the baking pan itself and show on the stove stop/keep in oven, till the sugar melts and spread it.

(I chose the 2nd method and since it has to be done quickly, cannot able to take the picture)

• After making the caramelized sugar, transfer the chenna mixture to this baking pan and bake it for 50 to 60 min. 
• By inserting a toothpick, check if it comes out clean without any dough sticking on it. 

• Allow the cake to cool, invert it, cut into slices and serve the delicious dessert. 
• Can be refrigerated and used within a week. (Thought of doing so, but got over within a hour)