DESCRIPTION:

Sandesh is a Bengali dessert created with milk and sugar. Some recipes of Sandesh call for the use of chhena or paneer (which is made by curdling the milk and separating the whey from it) instead of milk itself. Some people in the region of Dhaka call it pranahara (literally, heart 'stealer') which is a softer kind of sandesh, made with mawa and the essence of curd.

PREPERATION

Preperation time: 2 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins

INGREDIENTS:

-½ cup paneer( Indian cottage cheese )
-2 ½ tbsp. Powdered sugar
-Pinch of cardamom powder 
-few chopped Pista for garnishing

STEPS:

1. Take a heavy bottom pot, add milk in it and bring it to boil.
2. When the milk is about to spill out of the pan add curd in it and stir. The milk will get curdled well within 2 to 3 mins. Now switch off the gas and keep it aside for 2 mins.( Add more curd if milk doesn't curdle well )
3. Pour ice cold water to stop the cheese from further cooking. 
4. Let it rest for 2 to 3 mins.
5. Use a muslin cloth and drain the water.
6. Squeeze off the excess water from paneer. Make a knot of the cloth, hang it for sometime to drain up excess dripping whey. We need moist paneer.
7. Add moist paneer, powdered sugar and cardamom powder to a nonstick pan, heat it on a low flame.
8. Cook the mixture on low flame and when the sugar melts, the mixture will become gooey with a thick consistency. It will also begins to leave the sides and looks crumbly.
9. Switch off the heat and bring the mixture to room temperature. When the mixture cools down knead it lightly.
10. Make small balls from the mixture and flatten them a bit. Tuck a few pista in the centre to garnish. 
 Refrigerate for 2 hours and serve.

Servings: 4-5