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Chhena Gaja | A Traditional Sweet from Odisha
Aruna
This is the recipe for Chhena Gaja, a traditional sweet from Odisha. It is essentially deep-fried squares of freshly made cottage cheese (paneer) soaked in Sugar Syrup.
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Cook Time
1
hour
hr
Total Time
1
hour
hr
Course
Dessert, Sweets
Cuisine
Indian, Odisha
Servings
12
Small Pieces
Ingredients
1x
2x
3x
For Chhena
1
Litre
Full Fat Milk
2
tbsp
Lemon Juice
6 to 8
Cubes
Ice
For Sugar Syrup
1/2
Cup
Sugar
2/3
Cup
Water
1/2
tsp
Lemon Juice
1-2
tbsp
Rose Water
Or Few Drops of Kewra
Other Ingredients
1
tbsp
Rava, Semolina
Oil or Ghee for Frying the Gaja
Instructions
Making Chhena
Bring the milk to a boil.
Turn off the heat and wait for 2 to 3 minutes.
Now add the lemon juice gradually and stir till the whey separates from the milk solids.
Add the ice cubes and wait for 5 minutes.
Using a a thin cotton cloth or cheese cloth, drain all the whey from the Chhena.
Wash the Chhena well under running water to remove traces of the lemon.
Squeeze the extra water from the Chhena.
Making the Sugar Syrup
In a heavy-bottomed vessel, combine the sugar and water.
Now cook these ingredients till you get a thick syrup (one string consistency).
Add a few drops of lemon juice and mix well.
This prevents the sugar syrup from crystallizing after we take it off the heat.
Add the rose water and mix well.
Over low flame, keep the sugar syrup remain warm.
Making the Gaja
Break up the Chhena till it is crumbly.
Add the rava and knead well till it comes together as a smooth dough.
Divide the dough into 8 to 12 equal portions.
Roll each portion into a ball and then press to form a disc.
Shape the disc into a square.
As you can see I shaped them into rectangular logs.
Set aside.
Cover with a damp cloth, if required.
In a small kadhai, over
low
flame, heat about 1/2 cup oil.
To test the heat of the oil, add a tiny ball of chhena to the oil. It should sizzle on the surface of the oil.
Keeping the heat at low to medium, add a few Gaja at a time to the oil and fry till golden brown.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the Gaja from the oil and add to the Sugar Syrup.
Fry all the Gaja, and add them to the sugar syrup.
Let the Chhena Gaja soak in the syrup for about 1 hour.
Remove the Chhena Gaja from the syrup and enjoy!
Keyword
Chena Gaja
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@aahaaram
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