DS4 · Desserts · Odisha
Chhena Poda, Reduced Sugar
Odisha's "burnt cheese": sweetened chhena baked until a caramelised crust forms over a soft, fragrant centre — India's own cheesecake. This version uses a third of the usual sugar.
- Region
- Odisha (Nayagarh)
- Diet
- Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
- Prep
- 40 min
- Time, as written
- Prep 40 min · Bake 50 min · Cool 1 h
- Serves
- 6 (1 wedge, about 60 g, each)
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Status
- Adaptation — sugar reduced by about two-thirds; oven-baked
- Good for
- Festivals, gifting, make-ahead dessert
Nutrition
Good source| Per serving | kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Sugars | Added sugar | Protein per 100 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| As written | 185 | 9 g | 14 g | 11 g | 6 g | <1 g | 11 g | 8 g | 5.0 g |
Tier: Good source (just under 5 g per 100 kcal before rounding). Traditional chhena poda often uses around 150 g sugar for this amount of chhena; this uses 50 g. Chhena values estimated from the milk used, as in DS3. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 15 Oct 2026.
Values are estimates calculated from the listed ingredients and quantities (IFCT 2017 and product labels), not laboratory measurements. How the numbers were calculated.
Ingredients
Method
Make the chhena (DS3, steps 1–2), keeping it slightly moist.
Knead chhena with sugar for 5 minutes until smooth. Mix in semolina, cardamom, cashews and raisins. Rest 15 minutes so the semolina hydrates.
Grease a 15 cm cake tin or steel bowl with ghee; line the base with a banana leaf if available.
Press in the mixture and level the top.
Bake at 180 °C for 45–50 minutes, until deep brown on top and at the edges and a knife in the centre comes out clean.
Cool in the tin for 1 hour; turn out and cut into 6 wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Protein optimisation
- Where the protein comes from
- Chhena supplies 8.5 g per serving; semolina and cashew 0.5 g.
- Boost
- Replace the semolina with 20 g skimmed milk powder (+1 g protein per serving; gluten-free; slightly softer).
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional
- Odia temple style — sweetened with jaggery and baked slowly in a wood-fired oven, wrapped in sal leaves.
- Substitution
- 300 g crumbled paneer, kneaded until smooth, in place of fresh chhena (higher fat).
- Storage
- 3 days refrigerated; tastes even better the next day.
- Food safety
- Refrigerate within 2 hours once cool.
- Meal prep
- Excellent.
Allergens
Milk, tree nuts (cashew), gluten (semolina)
Labels: Good source · Soy-free · Whey-free · Meal-prep friendly