Name: Easy Chhena Poda with Brown Sugar
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 70 min
Ingredients: 500 gram Chenna; 3/4 cup to 1 cup sugar of your choice ((we used 180 gram brown sugar - read notes below)); 4 tbsp semolina/suji/rava; 2 tsp desi ghee; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp cardamom powder; 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder; 1/4 cup raisins; 2 tbsp cashews ((chopped)); 1 tbsp pistachios; 1/4 cup whey/chenna water ((or milk))

27 Jun Easy Chhena Poda with Brown Sugar

Posted at 19:26h in Diwali recipes, Indian Sweets by blessmyfoodbypayal 0 Comments

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Last Updated on September 1, 2025 by blessmyfoodbypayal

Easy Chhena Poda with Brown Sugar with step wise pictorial and video method.

WHAT IS CHHENA PODA ?

To understand Chhena Poda, you need to know the meaning of these two words.

“Chhena” which is also spelled as ‘Chenna’ at times is the “milk solid” which comes after curdling the milk. This milk solid in the crumbled form is called Chhena and when this Chenna is set to firm state, that is popular called as Paneer/ Indian Cottage Cheese.

So it will not be wrong to say that every paneer has to come through the phase of Chhena first.

And the another word “Poda” means “Burnt or Baked” in Odia language.

So, the name literally means ‘Burnt or Baked Paneer’.

BIRTH & ORIGIN OF CHHENA PODA

It’s a story timed way back to 1940’s when a sweet shop owner named Sudarsan Sahu from Nayagarh, a district in Odisha mistakenly left leftover chhena mixed with sugar and spices in tandoor (clay oven) overnight and next morning he was surprised to see a burnt sweet which was delicious to the core and that incident was the accidental invention of Chenna Poda.

Today, Nayagarh in Orissa is still known as the birthplace of authentic Chhena Poda!

CONNECTION OF CHENNA PODA WITH LORD JAGANNATH:

It is believed that Chhena Poda is the favourite sweet of Lord Jagannath, the presiding deity of the famous Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha and as such is offered (bhog) in the Mahaprasad.

And after the bhog, it is distributed amongst the devotees as a prasad.

Today is Rath Yatra in Odisha and this dessert must be the part of many of the houses. By saying so doesn’t mean that this sweet is offered to lord today only but it holds a special place today being part of the special bhog.

TRADITIONAL V/S MODERN METHOD OF MAKING CHHENA PODA.

Traditionally, to make chenna Poda, its batter used to be wrapped in banana leaves and then it was baked in earthen ovens or chulhas, using wood fire but with the changing times, it is baked in modern ovens inside cake tins as everyone doesn’t have an access to banana leaves.

So when you make Chhena Poda at home, it’s not just a dessert — it’s a symbolic way of recreating a piece of the Jagannath Temple’s spiritual and culinary heritage.

STEP WISE PICTORIAL RECIPE OF EASY CHHENA PODA WITH BROWN SUGAR

Take a bowl and add sugar, whey, cardamom powder, baking powder, nutmeg powder, desi ghee and semolina.

Mix well.

Also add raisins and cashews and mix. Keep aside.

Take chenna in a wide plate or paraat. Start mashing chenna using the base of your palm.

Mash until chenna turns creamy. It may take 5 to 6 minutes.

Transfer this creamy chenna in a bowl carrying wet ingredients.

Mix very well.

Spread pistachios at the base of the greased baking tin. You need to spread pistachios on a side which will be the top as per your cake tin.

Transfer this batter in it and level it.

Bake in preheated oven @170°C for 60 to 70 minutes in the middle rack with both rods on.

Take it out and check the done-ness by inserting a toothpick. If it comes out clean, its a sign that chenna Poda is baked perfectly. And if it doesn’t happen, you need to bake for more time.

Let it cool down before inverting.

Cut into slices and enjoy.

NOTES :

We made fresh chenna after curdling 4 litres of buffalo milk. You may need different quantity as the quality of milk varies from place to place, shop to shop. Important thing is that whatever quantity of milk you may take, chenna should come to 500 grams. We got 588 grams of chenna from 4 litres milk. Kept aside 88 grams and used 500 grams for this recipe.
You can use readymade paneer as well.
We have mentioned sugar quantity from 3/4 to 1 cup because sweetness level in every type of sugar is different. We used brown sugar which is less sweet than normal white sugar so the quantity is 1 cup & with this, chenna Poda was moderately sweet. If you are using regular white sugar then use 3/4 cup. And in case of jaggery (powdered or grated) it should also be 1 cup.
Prefer to use whey water only. This is that greenish water which is left after curdling milk. In case you don’t have this water because you are using store bought paneer to make this recipe, then go for milk in that case only.