Chenna Recipe - Base Ingredient for Many Sweets-Rasgulla, Gulab Jamun and More

Cooking.Shooking's picture

Sep. 18, 2014

Chenna or Channa is a cheese made from Cow Milk.. The same way as we prepare our paneer. Just his chenna is not pressed... Chenna is used in making various sweets and even savories.. Including Gulab jamun, Rasgulla, Pantua, Sandesh, Chum Chum, Rasmalai.. This is also available in market, but nothing like making some fresh at home isn't it?

Ingredients

Fresh milk 500 Milliliter (Homogenized milk)
Lemon juice/Citric acid / vinegar 2 Tablespoon
Water 2 Tablespoon

Directions

MAKING

Take milk, and boil it in medium flame stirring occasionally to prevent the cream from separating. As it boils, switch off the flame and then keep stirring until 30 secs or so.

Now gradually add the lemon juice. Add 2 tsp at first then stir for 20 secs or so, then keep on adding 1 tsp and stirring until it curdles. If you add excess lemon juice it can lead into stiff/chewy/hard chenna.

Take a bowl, keep a strainer/colander on top of that and then line a wet cheese cloth/muslin cloth. Wet cloth will not wobble/move. Strain the chenna as soon as possible. if you keep the chenna sitting there it can get chewy/hard.

Now add about 1 cup or more of cold water to the chenna. This will cool the chenna also will get rid of the pungent lemon smell.

Gather the sides and then squeeze water slowly.. Dont add much pressure. Squeeze with the least amount of pressure. Dont take out all the whey from it here.

Hang this in a tap or a kitchen cupboard handle and let the whey drop for a hour or two.

SERVING

Now open and use as required for sweet or savory dishes.

 

NOTES

Make sure to stir milk occasionally to prevent the separation of cream. As soon as it boils, make sure to let it cool for some time or about 1 minute. Then add the lemon juice to curdle. This will make sure that you get soft chenna. 

You can use citric acid or vinegar in place of lemon. But lemon works best!!

For making rasgullas, moisture content of the chenna is the main key, if its wet, they can mix with syrup if very dry they can come out dry. So make sure to hand it for 1 hour or more and let the chenna moisture drain on its own.

Whey is very versatile and protein rich. Dont throw it at all. Use it as veg stock it any dish, sambhar, pizza, chapati, naan, bread, kadhi or any kind of dough using this. Keep it in counter for 3-4 days that'll make it even sour. Then curdle the milk again using this for even softer chenna.

 

Recipe Summary

Difficulty Level: Easy
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Ready In: 20 Minutes
Servings: 4

Nutrition Facts

Serving size

Calories 77Calories from Fat 37

 % Daily Value*

Total Fat 4 g6.2%

Saturated Fat 2 g10%

Trans Fat 0 g

Cholesterol

Sodium 50 mg2.08%

Total Carbohydrates 7 g2.3%

Dietary Fiber %

Sugars 6 g

Protein 4 g8%

Vitamin A % Vitamin C %

Calcium % Iron %

*Based on a 2000 Calorie diet