50 min
Hands-on time
+ 1 hr 30 min soaking or marinating first
HardDifficulty
6 stepsSteps
Method
- 1 Bring the fresh milk to a boil, then turn off the heat and squeeze in some lemon juice, stirring gently until the milk completely separates from the cream and becomes clear.
- 2 Strain through a cheesecloth, rinse with cold water to remove the sour taste, then wring out and hang for 30 minutes.
- 3 Knead the resulting chenna mixture for 8 minutes using the soles of your hands until smooth and pliable, forming round balls that don't crack.
- 4 Boil sugar with water and cardamom until a thin syrup is formed, then bring to a rolling boil.
- 5 Drop the chenna balls into the boiling water, cover, and cook for 15 minutes—the balls will almost double in size.
- 6 Let it cool in the syrup, add rose water, and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
With an appliance
-
Pressure cooker 40 min
Replace step 5: boil the chenna pieces in syrup under low pressure for 6 minutes, then let them air-depress for 8 minutes; do not depress quickly as the pieces will shrink easily. Keep the hanging time of the chenna from step 2 and chill in step 6.