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What is Sandesh?
Sandesh is a famous Indian sweet from Bengal. Bengal is a state in the eastern part of India, and it is known for its culture and food, especially sweets. Sandesh is a simple yet delicious sweet made with Chhena and sugar. And we can add flavors of our choice to this delicacy.
About Sandesh – Bengali Sweet
Bengali sweets are pretty popular throughout India. Rasgulla, Chum Chum, Rasmalai, Bhapa Doi, and many other Bengali sweets are adored in every state of India. And even being a Gujarati, I love to have Bengali sweets over Gujarati sweets. They are not only delicious but require minimum ingredients, and making them is very straightforward. Sandesh is one such dish that requires minimum ingredients, fewer efforts but comes out super delicious. It is soft, creamy, humble in taste, moderately sweet, and melt-in-the-mouth. It is easy to make Sandesh if we follow the correct steps and take care of a few things. First, we should not over knead the Chhena and should not overcook the mixture of Chhena and sugar. But do not worry, I have included the step-by-step directions with pictures. And I am sure that will help you to make Sandesh quickly and correctly.
Ingredients
Step by Step Directions
Making Chhena
Bring 2 Litres of milk to boil in a thick pan, stirring frequently to prevent milk from sticking to the bottom.
Once it starts boiling, turn off the heat. Add white vinegar or lemon juice. If you are using lemon juice, make sure to strain the juice to remove fibers. And then use in the recipe.
The milk will be curdled, and greenish whey will be separated.
Pour this curdled milk into a pan lined with cotton or muslin cloth. Also, we can strain through a strainer with tiny pores.
Now pour some cold water onto this chhena so that we can wash out the taste of vinegar. Do not pour too much water.
Gently squeeze out the water. Do not squeeze too hard, as there should be no water but at the same time, chhena should be little moist and not dry.
Let the chhena rest for a while until the it is cool enough to handle.
Making Sandesh
When Chhena is slightly warm and cool enough to handle, transfer it to a big plate. Crumble the Chhena with your hand, and start kneading it with your palm.
Continue pressing and kneading the Chhena for about 5 minutes until it becomes smooth and soft. Do not over knead the Chhena; otherwise, the fat will start to release.
Then add powdered sugar, and mix well using a spoon. The mixture will become very soft. At this point, taste the mixture and add more sugar if you need to.
In a non-stick pan, heat the Chhena mixture on low heat. Continue stirring the mixture while cooking; also make sure to cook it on low heat all the time.
Cook the mixture for 4-5 minutes. The Chhena mixture will become thick again and will leave the sides of the pan. It is essential not to overcook the mixture. If we overcook more than 5-6 minutes, Chhena will become grainy again.
To check if it is done, take a pinch of the mixture, and make a ball. It is done if you can form a ball and the mixture does not stick to your palm.
Turn off the heat and transfer the mixture to the plate. Allow it to cool completely.
Add cardamom powder, and mix well.
Shape the mixture into small balls, roll each ball between your palm, and flatten it slightly. I was able to make 15 Sandesh pieces from the mixture. Decorate Sandesh with chopped nuts or saffron. I mixed a few saffron strands into a few drops of water. Then using my fingertip, I decorated Sandesh with this saffron mixture. Refrigerate Sandesh until the time of serving. Sandesh stays in the fridge for up to four days.
Helpful Tips
Use only whole milk or full-fat milk to make Chhena. Low fat will yield chewy and less creamy Chhena, which is not good to make Sandesh. Instead of white vinegar, you can also use lemon juice. To make Sandesh, the Chhena should not be too dry and not too moist. Squeeze the freshly prepared Chhena gently until all the water is removed. But do not press or squeeze it so hard that it becomes dry. Knead the Chhena until it becomes soft, smooth, and creamy. If we over-knead the Chhena, it will release the fat, and then it will be challenging to make Sandesh. After adding powdered sugar to Chhena, mix it with a spoon. If we overcook the Chhena and sugar mixture, the Chhena will become grainy again. So make sure to cook it only for 5-6 minutes. After adding the sugar, taste the mixture and add more sugar if you need to. Garnish the Sandesh with chopped nuts, dried fruits, or saffron. Keep the Sandesh in an airtight container and place it in the fridge. To give the floral note to this sweet, add a few drops of rose extract. You can also add pure vanilla to give the vanilla flavor to Sandesh.
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Carrot Burfi (Carrot Fudge) / Gajar Burfi Milk Rava Kesari / Milk Kesari Milk Peda / Kesar Malai Peda Kalakand / Easy Kalakand Recipe
