East meets West...

I am bone tired...weary... like a marathon runner who knew that she had to make it just till I had fed and put K2 in bed. I have been up since 3 AM today , not because I had to but because K2 couldn't sleep due to jetlag- started my day making old fashioned Oat Meal and Eggs for the little tyke, packing lunch boxes for the 2K's, cutting fruit and catching up on after vacation work. I spent half the time in the office, packing and preparing for the move. I also met up with H&P and we enjoyed a wonderful Japanese meal in a small place - the food was simple and good. Yet, there was this craving for something sweet...and it had to be something quick and simple -and the winner was Chenna Poda

Oriya food is not very well known, yet it is a food were there is attention to detail, superb execution and pure singular flavors...most of the sweets are made from Chenna (  Chenna means Child of Milk) and Poda is Burnt...simply put Chenna Poda is  India's answer to America's Cheese Cake and I absolutely adore it. I grabbed some Ricotta Cheese from Trader Joe's and was ready for some kitchen action.

Ingredients

1. Ricotta Cheese (1 Lb)
2. Sugar (1/2 Lb)
3. 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4. Sooji/Semolina ( 3 tablespoons)
5. Cardamom Powder ( 1/2 teaspoon)
6. Optional - Raisins

Add the sugar, baking powder and the sooji  and blend in the blender
The dough with have the consistency of a smooth cake batter
Mix in the dry fruits if you want them at this point.
Pour into a oven safe dish and bake at 350 °F for about an hour.
The baking times will vary based on the dish. So start checking around 40 minutes into the baking time.
To check poke a fork into the middle and see if you come up with syrupy batter or comes out clean.If it comes out clean,take it out of the baking dish and allow it to cool before serving. I get experimental sometimes and add different flavors -- like once I added in 4-5 table spoons of Rooh Afza ...it was a refreshing change but most times I want to stick to the simple classic taste of Chenna Poda.

The house smells amazing and I am on my 3rd slice of this Indian Version of Western Cheesecake. Try it and I am sure it will get you hooked...

Passing this along for the blog event  Celebrate Sweets  hosted by PJ @ http://seduceyourtastebuds.blogspot.com/2010/11/announcing-celebrate-sweets.html. This event was incidentally started by Nivedita @ http://niveditaskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/09/details-of-event-celebrate-sweets.html.

Let me know how this recipe turns out for you...