Kheer Sagar (An Odia Sweet Dish)

Kheer Sagar

Kheer Sagar means Ocean of milk in Odia language. In this sweet dish soft marble size cottage cheese ( chhena balls) soaked in sweet and thick milk (rabdi). Saffron and cardamom is the main flavoring agent of this sweet dish. It is either served chilled or lightly warm. It can be said as sister of Rasmalai. But here the milk is thick as rabdi but in rasmalai it has  thin milk. This sweet is mentioned in our mythology.

Every year I used to prepare sweets which my brother loves. But this sweet dish I am dedicating to my dear bhabi and my best friend. They both love this sweet a lot. 

Here is the recipe 

Milk- 1.5 lits 

Milk- 500 ml

Sugar- 4 tbsp + 2/3rd cup

Green Cardamom- 4

Suji- 1tbsp

Pistachios- 5 nos for garnishing

Vinegar- 1.5 tbsp

Heat 1.5 lit of milk in a thick buttom pan. Cook this milk up to thick. But one has to be very careful while doing this. It can't be left unattended. Reduce this up to 3 cups. Then add 4 tbsp of sugar to it and seeds of 2 green cardamoms.

In another pan add 1/2 lit of milk and allow to boil. Then reduce flame and add vinegar and stir. Immediately switch off the gas.

Strain this on the muslin cloth. Add 1 lit ice water to it. It will stop cooking of chhena and also remove the flovor of vinegar.

Squeeze this chhena or paneer with hand to remove extra water.

In a grinder jar add paneer and suji and grind it up to very soft.

Remove this mixture to a plate and mash a little. Then shape them like small balls. I got Around 19 balls.

In another sauce pan add sugar, water sand 2 green cardamom. When sugar melt and water start to boil add paneer balls to it and allow it to cook..

Ist cook in high flame for 5 mins then reduce flame and cook for 10 mins more. Let it cool down completely.

Now fish out paneer balls from the sugar syrup and add to the already prepared milk. Kheer Sagar is ready.

Serve this in warm or room temperature or chilled as per your choice. while serving add chopped pistachios.