Chhena payas

Ingredients:

• Full cream milk: 2 litres
• Lemon juice: 2 tsp
• Sugar: As per taste
• Elaichi powder: 1 tsp
• Saffron strands for color
• Dry fruits for garnishing
• Ghee: 1 tsp

Recipe:

For Cheese:

Heat 1 litre milk in a pan. When it’s boiling, add lemon juice to it and mix slowly. The cheese curdles slowly. Boil till cheese separates from the water. Strain the cheese in a strainer. Wash it under running water so that the acidic properly is gone. Put it in a cotton cloth and hang it to drain extra water from it.

Chhena payas:

Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the dry fruits into it and fry till golden brown. Keep aside.

Now in the same pan, fry the dried cheese for 2 minutes so that it won’t curdle the milk when it’s added to it. Keep it aside to cool down.

Now in the same pan add other 1 litre of milk. Boil till it reduces to half. Keep stirring in between so that milk is not burnt in the bottom. Add some saffron strands and sugar. Stir again for 2 more minutes. Now add the fried cheese to this reduced milk and stir slowly for 5 more minutes.

Switch off the flame and garnish with the dry fruits, elaichi powder. Let it cool down and enjoy after your meal.

* This tastes best when served cold.