Sunday, April 20, 2008

Channa Payesh (Fresh Ricotta/Paneer Cheese Dessert With Rose Water and Almonds)

Channa Payesh is an easy, breezy recipe - a wonderful make-ahead dessert based on freshly made Indian Channa or Paneer Cheese. If you use the ricotta cheese or store-bought paneer, there is absolutely no cooking involved at all! It is utterly divine with fresh berries, mangoes, peaches, etc.

8 Servings

Nutrition Information per serving as prepared with ricotta cheese without any fruit: 163 Calories; 7.1 g protein; 14.1 g carbohydrates; 8.1 g fat

Ingredients:

1 lb Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese or fresh Paneer
6 Tbsp Sugar or to taste
2 tsp Rose or Kewra Water
1/4 cup Almonds(blanched if preferred), coarsely ground
2 Tbsp Pistachios, finely chopped
Fresh fruits of your choice (Optional)
Fresh Rose Petals (Optional)

Method:

Cream the ricotta cheese with the sugar until light and creamy in a food processor. If using paneer you may need to use a few spoons of cream to moisten as necessary.

Stir in the rose or kewra water and the almonds and mix well.

Cover well and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Spoon into pretty dishes- an ice cream scoop works great for this; add fruits if using, and sprinkle with a little of the chopped pistachios.

Decorate with the rose petals (make sure that the rose petals are from pesticide-free bushes) and serve cold.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Your recipes are wonderful and make me hungry! This Paneer Cheese dessert looks lovely--I would like to try making it....can you suggest a good brand of rose water?

Geetha said...

Hi Tara: Any brand of rose water will do; currently I have Key Brand.
I hope that helps. Let me know how it works out.

Anonymous said...

In the authentic Bengali "Chhanar Payesh" the Chhana or Cottage Cheese is blended and added to thickened milk. Cardamom and bay leaf are optional flavors that work wonders for the payesh.

Geetha said...

Hello Anon, Thank you for your comments. I know cardamom is a traditional flavoring but have never heard of bay leaves as one. This is a special recipe prepared in Paramahamsa Yogananda's Temples and retreats; it is quite delicious. I have another post on "Ras Malai" - an easy version for the type of "channar payesh" that you describe. Happy cooking!

Anita W said...

Thank you so much for putting this recipe on the Internet. I have been wanting to make this dish for several years now; finally found the rose water and now your recipe. I served it to friends, one who had made the recipe for many years; she said it was the real thing! I think there are some kinds of ricotta cheese that are creamier than others, mine tasted slightly grainy, she said it was they kind of ricotta. Many smiles, thank you from my heart.

Ron said...

Thank you for sharing this recipe! Did you get this directly from someone in SRF? I have been to SRF Convocations at Encinitas for many years, and I always look forward to enjoying this amazing dessert.