Sandesh Recipe | Sondesh Recipe

Sandesh is a delicious Bengali milk sweet popular all over India. Sandesh also known as Bengali Sondesh is milk cheese based rich sweet made using milk, sugar, nuts, cardamom powder and saffron. Sandesh is most commonly made for festivals and special occasions.

Sandesh sweet can be made for special occasions, festivals like Navratri, Diwali and Durga Pooja. It is made with just simple ingredients from your kitchen and can be made easily within just few minutes of time. Even beginners can try this simple, quick and easy sweet.

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About Sandesh

Sandesh is a popular Bengali sweet made by first curdling milk to form chenna then mixing it with sugar and cooking until soft, non sticky, then shaping into small discs and garnishing with nuts.

There are many variations to sandesh including many flavours but the one I have shared here is the traditional one. The colour and taste of sandesh veries depending on the flavours we add.

This is the easiest sweet I have made, just few minutes and you are done with this yummy milk sweet. To make the best tasting sandesh, chenna should be prepared fresh and using store bought paneer may change the taste of sandesh.

The garnishings are end less you can add chocolte chips or nuts or dry fruits of your choice. Sandesh tastes incredibly delicious making it one of the popular sweets in Bengal.

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Sandesh Video

Sandesh Ingredients

• Milk – Use full cream milk either farm fresh or packed milk.
• Vinegar – You can use vinegar or lemon juice to curdle milk.
• Sugar – Grind sugar to a fine powder then use it.
• Nuts – I have used chopped pistachios for garnish. You can even use almonds, cashews etc.
• Saffron – Saffron adds a rich flavour and mild colour to this sweet.
• Cardamom powder – This is one of the main flavourings for sandesh.

How to make Sandesh Step by Step

1.To a sauce pan add 1 liter milk. Stir and boil for a minute. Switch off and let it rest for 2-3 minutes.

2.To a small bowl add 2 tablespoon vinegar, 2 tablespoon water, mix it well and set aside.

3.Now add vinegar water solution little by little and stir gently. Now the flame is off, this helps to slowly curdle milk and the resulting chenna is so soft.

4.Now whey water(green liquid) and chenna(white solid) separates.

5.Now it is curdled completely. Switch off.

6.Transfer this to a cloth placed on a strainer. Keep a bowl underneath to collect the whey water. You can use this whey water for kneading chapathi dough or for curdling milk again.

7.Rinse it with water well.

8.Squeeze excess water.

9.Roll and place it on the strainer. Keep 2 bowls on it. Do not keep heavy weight. Set aside for 30 minutes.

10.Now open, moisture should be still there slightly, it should not be dry.

11.Transfer it to a plate.

12.Knead it well using your palm like shown. Knead until the texture changes smooth and soft.

13.Add ⅓ cup powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder and 5 strands saffron.

14.Mix well and gather to form a dough like this.

14.Keep a pan in low flame and add it to the pan.

15.Keep cooking in low flame.

16.Cook for 3-5 minutes not more than that. If you cook longer it may become hard and will crumble. Switch off and remove from flame.

17.Transfer to a plate. Pinch a small portion.

18. Make small balls, flatten it slightly.

19.Garnish with chopped pistachio and saffron strands.

Sandesh is ready!

Expert Tips

• Vinegar solution – Vinegar when mixed with water is more concentrated and makes chenna soft.
• Preparing chenna – Boil milk give a quick stir and switch off, let it rest for few minutes before adding vinegar solution. Add vinegar, water mixture little by little and stir gently.
• Kneading – I usually knead for at least 7-10 minutes till it becomes smooth and soft. Make sure you do not over knead then fat will get released.
• Cooking – Cook the mixture in lowest flame and cook not more than 5 minutes.
• Flavours – You can add cocoa powder to make chocolate sandesh, rose essence to make rose sandesh. Like wise you can make so many variations like orange sandesh, pista sandesh etc.

Serving and Storage

Sandesh is served as a sweet snack with other sweet varieties we make foe the festival. It can be stored in fridge for 3-5 days.

FAQS

1.What type of milk should I use?

Use full cream milk for best taste and volume. Avoid low fat or toned or skimmed milk.

2.While cooking it became crumbly, how to fix it?

Do no worry if happens when you over cook the mixture. Cool down the mixture then add to mixer and blend until smooth. Now transfer to a plate and shape it, sandesh is ready.

3.Can I add brown sugar or jaggery?

Yes you can use brown sugar or jaggery but make sure it is in powdered form and is free from impurities.

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