Sandesh (Bengali Sweet Sondesh)

Prepare a sieve for straining: line a large fine-mesh sieve with several layers of cheese cheesecloth or use man’s handkerchief or thin cotton cloth. Set over a large bowl.

Pour the milk in a heavy bottom pan or patila. Heat the milk over medium heat and let it come to a full boil, stirring frequently.

Once it starts boiling, turn off the heat and remove it from the heat. Add lemon juice and keep stirring.

As you stir, you will notice that milk has starts to curdle. If it does not curdle, then you can add more lemon juice. But do not add too much at the beginning.

You will see the greenish whey and milk solids(chenna) are separated. Drain and separate them using a prepared strainer.

Then wash the chenna under running cold water, so all the sourness from lemon juice/vinegar will wash away. Also, as it cools down, it stops further cooking and prevents it from becoming chewy.

Now gather the edges of the cloth, tie and twist, press lightly to remove all the moisture.

Chenna is ready

Take prepared chenna to a plate.

Start kneading with the help of your palm and keep kneading till it gets smooth and comes together like a dough. It took me about 4-5 minutes.

Now add sugar to the smooth, kneaded chenna.

Again knead it well to incorporate the sugar. It will become sticky yet smooth. No more bigger sized milk granules left. Alternately you can do this kneading step in a food processor.

Take the chenna sugar mixture into the pan and turn the heat on medium-low.

Continue cooking with stirring constantly. This step is crucial, cook for only 4-5 minutes no more than that. Do not overcook it otherwise it becomes crumbly.

Remove the cooked mixture to a plate, spread it for quicker cooling. Let it cool down till it becomes warm.

While it is still warm, start kneading it till it becomes smooth and comes together like a dough ball.

Now take a small portion and start shaping into a patty or peda like. You can use store-bought moulds to shape them.

Garnish with chopped pistachios.