Chhena
Fresh, soft, unpressed curd made by souring hot milk with acid, the base of Bengali and Odia sweets.
Also: ছানা, ଛେନା, chena, chhana, chenna
Chhena is curdled milk, drained but not pressed. Full-fat cow milk is brought to the boil and soured with lemon juice, sour whey or citric acid; the curd separates from the greenish whey and is tipped into a cloth and hung for a short time. The result is moist, crumbly and mild. Knead it with the heel of the hand until smooth and it becomes the dough for rasgulla, sandesh, rasmalai and chhena poda, the great milk sweets of Bengal and Odisha. Pressed under a weight into a firm block, the same curd becomes paneer. Chhena is not to be confused with khoa, which is milk boiled down without curdling, or with dahi, which is set yoghurt.