Chhena Poda

Name: Chhena Poda
Total time: 1800 s
Yield: 6-7 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 2 litres full fat Milk; 2-3 tbsp Vinegar; 2 tbsp Semolina or Suji; 1 tbsp Ghee or Clarified Butter; 1/2 cup Sugar; 1/2 tsp Cardamom powder; 8-10 Saffron strands for topping

ZMA @zesty5

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Chhena Poda or Cottage Cheese Cake from the State of Odisha in India is a traditional Dessert primarily made with Cottage Cheese, Semolina, Sugar and Clarified Butter with a unique flavour profile. And the best part of it is that i tried it in an Air Fryer and it came out perfect.
It is often flavoured with Cardamom powder and also garnished with Dry Fruits sometimes. The Cake is baked until it achieves a beautiful Brown colour crust on the outside while remaining soft and moist inside. That's the beauty of this flavourful Cake of Indian origin. You would fall in love with this super yummy Dessert as soon as you take a bite of it.

Chhena Poda literally means burnt Cheese in Odia language referring to the caramelized exterior crust and spongy texture with slightly smoky notes. This smoky Dessert is often considered as Odisha's Burnt Cheesecake and is the most loved traditional Dessert from the State. Nowadays it is made in other parts of the Country as well and is loved for it's aroma and unique flavour. Melt in mouth, spongy and absolutely lip-smacking, this is a winner hands down.

Enjoy Cooking with Zeen!

ZMA @zesty5

Enjoy Cooking with Zeen!

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Ingredients

25-30 minutes

6-7 servings

2 litresfull fat Milk
2-3 tbspVinegar
2 tbspSemolina or Suji
1 tbspGhee or Clarified Butter
1/2 cupSugar
1/2 tspCardamom powder
8-10Saffron strands for topping

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Steps

25-30 minutes

1

Boil about 2 litres of full fat milk at first. Once it comes to a boil, switch off the heat and add vinegar to it. Stir until the milk curdles completely.
2

Strain using a muslin cloth. Do not squeeze it. Let the water drain naturally. Reserve some chhena water for later use. Rinse gently to remove lemon or vinegar flavour. To this chhena or cottage cheese, add the rest of the ingredients except saffron strands. Add the reserved water to facilitate mixing.
3

Preheat the air fryer. In the meantime grease a mould lined with butter paper or saal leaves for convenience. Add the mix into it.
4

Bake on 180° for about 25-30 minutes or until the top turns nice golden brown in colour.
5

Let it cool down before slicing it. Serve it either chilled or at room temperature as desired. Enjoy!

Tips

Store in airtight containers and refrigerate for best results. And relish it for 2-3 days.

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ZMA @zesty5

on April 25, 2026 01:47

Homemaker by choice and a passionate cook by heart. An aspiring cook who actually never knew anything about Cooking until i became a mother myself.With Motherhood came the responsibilities as well and this was the turning point in my life.I started to learn the ABC's of cooking, taking help from my mother and my MIL. And time just flew. I spread my wings higher and higher. With my love for excellence and innovation, i stepped into a world of homecooks with my exposure to Cookpad one fine day on the social media. And there was no looking back since then and i have not only shared recipes here on this wonderful platform but also have made some lovely friends as well. Today iam successful because of my hard work, dedication and loads of good wishes of my family and my kids in particular.