Chhena Tarkari

Chhena Tarakari is a chhena (cottage cheese) based popular side dish from odia cuisine. Any special celebration or during festival this is a common affair in the menu. The takari can be prepared with or without onion-garlic.

Chhena Tarkari

Sasmita

Chhena Tarakari is a chhena (cottage cheese) based popular side dish from odia cuisine. Any special celebration or during festival, this is a common affair in the menu. The tarkari can be prepared with or without onion-garlic.

5 from 7 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Odia

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1½ cup Chhena
• 1 tsp Besan (gram flour)
• 2 no. Potato (boiled)
• 2 no. Green chili (finely chopped)
• 1 no. Tomato (roughly chopped)
• ¼ cup Tomato puree
• 1 inch Ginger
• 1-2 no. Whole red chili
• 2 no. Cardamom pod
• 1 no. Bay leaf
• 1 inch Cinnamon stick
• 3-4 no. Clove
• ¼ tsp Cumin seed
• 1 tsp Garam Masala powder
• ½ tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Red chili powder
• 1 tbsp Coriander powder
• Oil as needed
• Salt as needed
• Water as needed

Instructions

 

• In a blender jar, put the roughly chopped tomatoes along with cloves, cinnamon stick, ginger, whole red chili.

  Make a smooth paste without adding water. Keep aside.
• Take the soft chhena (homemade or store bought) in a mixing bowl and gently crumble it.
• Add gram flour (besan) and knead to make a smooth and soft dough.
• Then add salt, finely chopped green chilies and knead again till everything well incorporated.
• Take 1 tbsp of the dough and shape into ball and then slightly flatten to give a tikki shape. Here I have given the heart shape.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan to shallow fry the chhena tikki.
• Make some more tikkis from the dough. Keep aside.
• Shallow fry the chhena tikkis in batches till light brown from all the sides.
• Transfer the tikkies to a plate lined with parchment paper.
• Now take the boiled potatoes, slice into 1 inch thick and then cut into heart shapes using a heart mold. This step is optional, I did this to match the chhena tikki shape. Usually chhena are shaped as 1 inch balls or tikkis and potatoes are cut into cubes.
• Shallow fry the potatoes. This step is optional too.
• Keep aside the fried potatoes in a plate.
• Now add 1 tbsp oil into the same pan.
• Add 1 cardamom pod, cumin seeds and sauté.
• When the seeds start to splutter, add in the tomato paste.
• Sauté over low heat for 1-2 minutes.
• Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder and tomato puree.
• Mix everything and allow the whole masala to cook well.
• When the oil starts to ooze out from the masala paste, pour 1-2 cups warm water (depends upon the consistency of the chhena curry, add less or more as per the need).
• Give a stir and then put the fried potatoes.
• Cover the pan and cook till potatoes are well done.
• After that, gently add all the fried chhena and cook for 1 minute without covering the pan.
• Soon the chhena tikkis'll absorb the masala and swell a bit.
• Turn off the heat.
• Crush the other cardamom pod and sprinkle over the curry.
• Serve this chhena tarkari hot as a side dish with roti or rice !

Notes

• Besan acts as a binding agent. This can be omitted. Just make one tikki and shallow fry. If it doesn’t break, then it is ok. Else add besan and knead again.
• Adding green chilies to the chhena dough is completely optional. My family like this way.
• Always knead the chhena to a soft dough, but also do not over kneading the chhena.
• I have used homemade chhena. Do check the recipe of making chhena at home.
• The chhena tikkies can be shallow fried or even deep fried.
• Frying the potatoes is completely optional.
• Adjust the spiciness as desired.
• The chhena tikkis become soft after cooking in the gravy. So be careful while serving, else they break.
• This recipe can be prepared with or without onion-garlic. Here the version is without onion-garlic one.

Keyword Chhena, Festival Recipe, No Onion No Garlic Recipe, Odia Side Dish