Sandesh or Sondesh is a popular Bengali sweet prepared with chenna/ Chhana and sugar as main ingredient. Green cardamom is used for mild flavoring.
Sandesh can be perfect for any celebration or for gifting a box of love to your friends, family in special occassions like Diwali.
Do check out my How to make paneer at home post and Rasgulla recipe in my website which involves similar process of preparing chhana.
Chenna/ chhana
I have not tasted sandesh anywhere else, just tried myself for the first time and tasted.
With just milk as a main ingredient, you can enjoy this yummy paneer sweet. This dessert recipe is so easy-to-make.
We are going to prepare chenna firstly. Chhana is nothing but paneer before setting.
Boil milk well, curdle it with lemon juice and once the milk is separated, strain in a muslin cloth/ cheese cloth or clean dupatta for 30 minutes.
Remaining milk solid is called as chenna or chhana. This chenna can be used to make sweets like rasgulla, rasmalai as well as paneer.
Variations
I have added pistachios to this to make it more special, but you can make it plain for the basic Sandesh recipe.
Add cardamom or for a pleasant flavor you can also try rose water or pista essence. Should add very less to not spoil the original taste of the milk sweet.
Kesar Sandesh:
Add few drops of concentrated kesar – soak a big fat pinch of saffron in 1 tablespoon hot water and use few drops from it.
Recipe card
Sandesh recipe | Pista sandesh
Ingredients
- 1 liter Full cream milk
- 1 Lemon Juice it
- 2 tablespoon Water for diluting lemon juice
- Β½ cup Sugar powder it
- 2 teaspoon Corn flour
- 2 tablespoon Pistachio
- 3 drops Green food color
- 1 Cardamom Crushed or use 3 drops rose essence
Instructions
- Boil milk. Dilute lemon juice with water and add it to the boiling milk and keep stirring till the milk curdles completely.
- Strain the paneer /Chenna in a muslin cloth(I used one of my dupattas).
- Hang it for Β½ hour or till all the water drains. I gently squeeze excess water now and then in the Β½ hour
- Grind this chenna with sugar and corn flour in mixer until smooth.
- Take a non stick pan and heat this mixture on very low heat for 8-10 mins.
- Take care not to change the paneer colour. I added the green colour at this stage, while heating the mixture.
- When the mixture turns dry and thick remove from fire and transfer to a bowl.
- Add the powdered pistachios.
- Knead well and make into desired shapes.
- Decorate with pistachios. Keep refrigerated till serving time.
Notes
- Tastes best when served chilled β¦
- Adding corn flour and pistachio powder is optional. I have not tried though without those two, but as I learnt from the cook book.
Sanshesh method
1. Boil milk.
2. Dilute lemon juice with water and add it to the boiling milk and keep stirring in medium flame, till the milk curdles completely.
3. Strain the paneer/Chhana in a muslin cloth(I used one of my dupattas).
4. Hang it for Β½ hour or till all the water drains. I just squeeze excess water now and then in the Β½ hour.
5. Grind this chhena with sugar and corn flour in mixer until smooth.
6. Take a non stick pan and heat this mixture on very low heat for 8-10 mins. Take care not to change the paneer colour. I added the green colour at this stage, while heating the mixture.
7. When the mixture turns dry and thick remove from fire and transfer to a bowl.
8. Add the powdered pistachios and mix well.
9. Knead well and make into desired shapes. Decorate with pistachios. Keep refrigerated till serving time.
I just made it round and simple, you can try different molds and even make interesting shapes!
Me too never tried at home.Will try.Clicks are amazing.
Lovely!They lookso fresh and soft!
looks yummy!
beautifully done looks delicious
Simple yet delicious.. detailed pics helpa a lot
Look so yum and delicious…
Paneer Sandesh looks so yummy. Can almost feel it.
Deepa
Hamaree Rasoi
Mouthwatering clicks ….. I wish I could eat of of the pict π
Cheers,
Satrupa
http://satrupa-foodforthought.blogspot.com
Looks sinfully delicious..adding pistas would surely enhance the flavour..wud try it out sometime
Paneer sandesh looks yummy and soft… liked the light green colour and beautiful clicks.
Looks super yumm and I love all milk sweets. Raji click looks so nice π
looks yumm and clicks really attracts…
Looks great in green colour along with pista…
Hi Raji,
As usual no words to explain about the dish.In case if full cream milk is not available is it possible to do with a normal milk.If Pistachio powder is not available is it possible to powder the pista and do since i don't no anything about that.If time permits kindly visit my blog and give me you are suggestions to improve my blog as you are my major inspiration to start on the cookery blog and i am not only new to blog,also new to cooking.
http://sabdhaskitchen.blogspot.com/
I love bengali sweetsn especially d ones without sheera…nice color wid d pistachios…yummy..beautifully rounded raks..
yummy and lovely sandesh
LOVELY COLOUR AND SOFT SANDESH.
I have never tried making Sandesh Raji. But after seeing yours, it is one among my to do lists π
Sandesh has been long pending in my to make list..I love this delectable bengali dessert because of its mild sweetness and soft texture…adding of pistachio powder must have increased the flavour. Looks very desirable. And the pictures are stunning.
Sandesh looks super marvellous,addictive and adorable,love it..
Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm….
Kurinjikathambam, Event : HRH-Healthy Summer
Sandesh looks real soft and delectable…would love a have a bite now…beautiful clicks..
Soft & delicious sandesh!!!! Perfectly done!!!
Prathima Rao
Prats Corner
Sandesh looks perfect and inviting
South Indian Home
Tempting and inviting recipe…awesome clicks…
very cute and simple sweet!…nice one!
Smitha
Smitha's Spicy Flavors
simply yummilious….. nvr heard of this before… hope it is easy to try….
You make it look so easy. i am trying this out when I invite my friend for dinner.
Awesome.
I too love this sweet. But never tried at home.. Looks really great..
Looks delicious. I have had them plain and used to like them so madly. Will give it a try at home π
Love it dear, so pretty in green. Please feel free to send it to my "Flavors of Bengal" event.
Delicious and colorful sandesh….
So soft and delicate and lovely picture as usual.
delicious sweet,luks very tempting…sure will try it…
Sinfully delectable raji.
Sandesh looks super yum, love the clicks!
http://www.appetitetreats.com
My favourite bengali sweet.Lajawaab…..Very tempting.
Sudha,you can use normal milk too, and I too used powdered pistas only,you can try that…
That looks absolutely delicious π
http://kitchensojourn.blogspot.com
Luks rich and yummy…luks so perfect.
Same here..never tried sandesh…but after looking at your pics tempted..looks yummy!
looks easy and delicious dear…
Bookmarked it π
lovely clicks.
wow..that looks so yummy…wonderful clicks too.. the colour of the sandesh matches that with ur profile..nice
Sandesh looks soft, yummy and mouth watering. Feel like having it now.
Looks Awesome
Pista sandesh looks awesome, raks…perfect and yummy
Looks yummy!! Love that you added a little colour to the sweet!!
Looks soooo tempting….I add cardamom powder too.
Lovely clicks.
hi Raks
it looks good…can u post recipe of icecream?
hi raji… just now tried this sandesh paneer sweet… when i was about to make tea, the milk got curdled and immediately thought of making this sweet as i had already made a successful attempt of rasagulla (i had also left a "Excellent" comment long back π the milk sweet turned awesome… i dint have pista and so added powdered cashew and almonds and it tasted so good… i have kept it fridge and in the meantime wanted to let you know my successful attempt… thanks a ton & expecting a lot more easy & delicious sweets from you…
Thank you so much Dhivya for your feed back π
Hi im a new cook n tired this recipe just now….it turned out so yummy. My 16 months little one likes it so much n cant wait to refrigerate…I love ur pictures so much n the steps r so easy to follow…My hubby is gonna love it for sure…
lovely. one of my most favorite mithais!
while heating my paneer mixture in non-stik pan it turned out to b oily.. I just want to know why it happened n i have used ready made paneer… my mixture remained soft after heating and it doesnt turned in a thick dough form… Can u tell me why it happened so..
Sorry….Not sure why, may be next time try making the same way as in post, by curdling milk…
Your recipes are really extra ordinary.. always i use to get success on making ur dishes with ur ideal tips and temptating pics.. Really Hatsoff to you.
It looks so nice & I will try it today..For how many days can we store this Raksha?
Keeps good for 3-4 days may be in fridge
I am loving those sweets. They look simple, but at the same time seem worthy enough for any corporate catering service. I wonder how things would look like if I went nuts with the green food coloring though.
Raji,
Here I have tried out your recipe and posted how it came out in my hands. Here is my blog, I'm a Kathu Kutti in blogging not very good at it. but writing it just like a diary for my reference and for my sister π
http://suganyaponnusamy.blogspot.sg/2013/04/sandesh-pista-paalkova.html
If you use corn flour then that will take away the actual delicious taste of Sandesh. The original recipe dint need any corn flour but some people to reduce down the step no.4 nothing else. You can add mawa / dry milk powder instead.
Simply Yummy!!!!
can we do this with store bought paneer just thaw and scramble or shred it with carrot shredder and use it
Sathya Rajagopal
Columbus ohio
Not sure if it will bind so easily.
Looks very yummy..,,nice and attractive clicks..,,,
Hi tried dis receipe but it became so dry even not able to bind wats the reason as per ur receipe cuked 8 min