Soft and traditional Bengali sweet dish prepared Sandesh prepared with fresh chena can be prepared with any flavor. Infact it can also be prepared with Saffron and cardamom only.
Take milk in a vessel with heavy base and allow it to boil. When milk starts boiling, take it off flame and allow it cool a bit. Mix some water in lemon juice and when milk cools a bit, add lemon juice into it little by little and keep stirring. When milk coagulates, milk and chena separates, then stop adding lemon juice into it.
Strain the chena with cloth and pour cold water over it so that there is no flavor of lemon in chena. Lift the cloth from all sides and press it gently so that excess water drains out. Chena for making sandesh is now ready. Take it out in a plate and mash the chena for 5 to 6 minutes until smooth. Crush cardamom to make powder. Thinly chop pistachios.
Now mix saffron and powdered sugar in chena and mix for 2 to 3. Take a non stick pan and place it on flame. Now place chena into it, stir constantly and roast it on low flame for 3 to 4 minutes.
Turn off the flame and take out chena in a plate. Allow the chena to cool and then mix cardamom powder into it. Take small lump from the mixture, roll and then flatten gently. Place it over a plate. Likewise, make small lumps from the mixture and make oval shape peda and place them over plate. Garnish with chopped pistachios and relish eating these scrumptious sandesh.
