Chenapoda

This is as a tribute to a friend's post I read a few days back.
A chenapoda is according to me is the best of the best among sweets from Orissa. When I read Sam's musings on "chenapoda" I went into that nostalgic frame of mind and was trying to calculate when I would get a chance go to Orissa the next time.

I am sure you must have heard this, an optimist's ultimate delusion about wishful thinking, "If you truly want something, the universe conspires to give it to you.." - Paulo Coelho and now made famous in India by SRK's hindi rendition of the line in Om Shanti Om

I was discussing Chenapoda with a friend here while not known to me another was getting ready to take a flight from Bhubaneswar. A few phone calls and what must have been a lot of lucky synchronization of the schedules of a lot of people, this object was on my desk today morning...after passing through several hands, a long flight over the arabian sea, through 3 airports and getting cleared through 2 customs..



Like Sam has described, the cheese is thoroughly mixed with sugar,elaichi and kaju etc., drained of all water and made into the shape of a cake. It is then covered with teak leaves and put in a oven with red hot charcoal covering it from all sides. That is what gives it a brown outer crust and a juicy soft brown/white center.

Not a great photograph and it did spoil some flwo diagrams I was working on but to one who has tasted it once, this should be enough to get the mouth watering again :)

Thank you Narayan and Ganesh who made this joy possible so far away from home..