Chhena jhili (Odia: ଛେନାଝିଲି ) is a popular dessert from Odisha, India’s cuisine. Nimapada, in the Puri district, is where it was born. It’s made with sugar syrup and fried cheese. Aarta Sahoo of Nimapara’s Shyam Sundarpur Village was the one who first began making this sweet.
Ingredients :
- Fresh Chhena/ Cottage Cheese- 400gm
- Sugar-2 tsp
- Wheat Flour-2 tsp
- Elaichi/ Cardamom Powder- 1/2 tsp
- Pure Ghee/ Oil-500ml
- Rawa/ Semolina-1 tsp
- Pinch Of Salt
Made for Sugar Syrup
- Water
- Sugar
Preparation Procedure :
- Take a bowl and put everything in it. Chhena, wheat flour, semolina, sugar, elaichi powder (cardamoms powder), and a bit of salt are mixed to make a soft dough.
- Preparation for Nimapada Chhena Jhili
- To create a smooth texture, knead the dough on a flat surface with your palm. Kneading is a crucial step in this recipe that takes about 15-20 minutes.
- In the palm of your hand, rub a small amount of oil. Flatten little balls of dough into thick patties. If you notice any breaking or cracking at that point, I recommend kneading further.
- Now place these cheese balls in a different bowl and cover with a lid for a while.
- All you need to make Sugar Syrup is some water and sugar. To make the sugar syrup, combine the same amount of water and sugar. Stir it all together and cook it for 10 minutes to form a thick syrup, then add some cardamom powder.
- Deep-fried the balls in a separate hot wok filled with Ghee or Oil (Ghee is preferred) until they turn a lovely and rich dark brown color.
- Remove it from the oven once it’s done and immediately place it in the hot sugar syrup.
- Allow it to soak for 4-5 hours after stirring it again.
- Dry fruits and elaichi can be used to decorate it.
