Rose & Saffron Sandesh

Hey there! Thanks for stopping by 🙂 In today’s post, we are drawing you back to India! We are going to show you how to make a Rose & Saffron Sandesh. Now if you don’t know, Sandesh is a popular dessert originally originated in Bengal. In a simple definition, Sandesh is a sweet moist fudge made up of the cottage cheese. For this recipe, we have to care for a few things, first of all always use fresh milk. How to cook paneer withs sugar is very important, if you cook too much chena (cottage cheese) will become grainy and if you cook it less it will not give that moist taste in your Sandesh. Nowadays there is a lot of variety of Sandesh like gud (jaggery) Sandesh, Chocolate Sandesh, or dates Sandesh or many more. In this recipe, we are using Kesar (saffron) and edible rose petals. Kesar gives color and taste to your Sandesh whereas rose will bring freshness to this moist sweet. I can promise you that once you eat this Sandesh you will really love it and you will make it again and again. People in West Bengal use jagger or sugar in Sandesh, but we are using sugar as it is easily available. We have used dry rose petals which we easily get from any grocery shop who are selling baking products.

1- liter fresh milk
11/2 tsp lemon
2 tsp water
7-8 strings of saffron (Kesar)
1 tsp edible rose petals (dry)
1/2 tbsp rose water (to soak and brush rose petals)
1-2 cardamom (only black seeds crushed, don’t take the green skin)
11/2 tbsp sugar (can be adjusted how sweet you want)
1/2 tsp milk to soaked saffron

In a pan keeps milk for boiling. Once the boil comes turn off the stove. Keep it aside for one minute. Now mix lemon juice and water in a bowl. Put this mixture in the boiled milk and stir it continuously. You will see that milk will start crumbling in small grain-like particles, water will get separated and you will get white color crumbled grainy texture that is chenna(paneer). If you will make chenna(cottage cheese)in this way you will get very soft chenna (cottage cheese). Now add one cup of cold water in this chenna.
Now take a muslin cloth and place it in a bowl. Pour the boiled milk in this cloth , wash it with the1 cup cold water, and squeeze(4-5 times) it so that extra water will be drained out. now put some heavy object(1 kg) on the muslin cloth containing chenna(cottage cheese) for 15 minutes so that if any water left can be squeezed out. Till water gets squeezed out soak Kesar (saffron) in milk.
After 15 minutes take out chenna from the muslin cloth on a plate. Now divide your chenna into two parts. We will take 1/4th chenna separately as we have to add Kesar in it. Add soaked Kesar in this 1/4th chenna, powder sugar (1/2 tbsp), and cardamom powder. Mash with heels of your hand for 2-3 minutes to get a smooth texture.
Take a non-stick pan and cook this chenna for two minutes to remove all the excess moisture. Let it cool for a few minutes. Make the cylindrical roll with the help of parchment paper.
chenna which we kept separately( 3/4th) now add sugar with the help of a spatula and mix it nicely. We will churn this mixture in a grinder for a few seconds so that we get a very fine mixture.
Take a non-stick pan and cook this chenna for two minutes to remove all the excess moisture. Let it cool for a few minutes. Put this mixture on the parchment paper cover it with another parchment paper and roll it with a rolling pin. We have to roll it like half centimeter thick chapati.
Take out the parchment paper which is on the top. Now place the Kesar cylindrical role on the edge leaving 2 cm distance. With the help of parchment paper roll it with soft hands. Make sure the roll should not be loose.It should be firm.
Brush this role with rose petals soaked in rose water. Keep this roll In the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Now take Route roll from the refrigerator and keep it on some hard surface and cut them in equal size 9-10 pieces with a sharp knife.
Garnish it with some Kesar strings. Serve it cool.