Sandes

One of my personal favorites, Sandes comes from land of rasagullas, West Bengal. And like lots of sweets originating from West Bengal, Sandes is also made of chaina (cottage cheese). Sandes is extremely simple to make and very light on your stomach. It can be made with sugar or jaggery and tastes equally good.

Ingredients
  • Full Cream Cow’s Milk – 1 lts
  • Vinegar/Lemon Juice – 2-3 tbsp
  • Powdered Sugar – 50 gms (1/3 cup)
  • Cardamom Powder – ½ tsp
  • Saffron Strands – 10-15 number
  • Pistachios (slivered) – 10-12 number
Method
  1. Prepare the chaina –
    1. Take a vessel and add 1 lts of milk and let it come to boil. Once the milk has boiled, take it off the heat and let it rest.
    2. Take 2 tbsp of vinegar or lemon juice in a bowl and add 2 tbsp of water. Mix it well.
    3. Add the vinegar or lemon juice to the milk, one tbsp at a time.
    4. Once the milk has curdled, sieve it through the cheese cloth.
    5. Rinse the chaina in cold water and wring it gently till all the water has been drained. Do not wring too hard. (If possible, leave the cheese cloth to hang for 10-12 minutes to drain out the water.) The chaina should not become dry.
  2. Prepare the dough –
    1. Take the chaina out on the plate and start kneading it with your wrists while collecting with your fingers and palms.
    2. Knead for 8-10 minutes until the crumbly and grainy chaina becomes velvety and soft dough.
  3. Add cardamom powder, sugar powder, and saffron to the chaina dough and mix well.
  4. Put a non-stick pan on gas and cook the chaina dough for 3-4 minutes on low flame. Keep stirring continuously.
  5. After 4 minutes, take out the dough on a plate and let it cool.
  6. Once the mixture has cooled down, make sandes either by hands or by using moulds.