Ingredients
- 1 litre full-fat whole milk
- 3–4 tbsp white vinegar, OR 4–5 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Pinch of salt (optional — helps with draining)
Method
Heat the milk
- Bring milk to a full boil in a heavy pan, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching on the bottom.
- Reduce heat to low.
Curdle
- Add the acid slowly, 1 tbsp at a time, stirring gently after each addition. Stop the moment the milk curdles completely — the whey should turn pale greenish-yellow and clear, with white curds floating distinctly.
- Do not add more acid than necessary. Excess acid makes the chenna sour and gives it a rough, grainy texture.
- If the whey is still milky white after all the acid is added, the milk wasn't hot enough. Return briefly to a boil and add 1 more tbsp of acid.
Drain
- Line a colander with a double layer of muslin or cheesecloth. Pour the curdled milk through it.
- Rinse the curds under cold running water for 30 seconds — this removes residual acid taste and stops the cooking.
- Gather the cloth and squeeze gently to remove excess whey.
- Hang for 30–45 minutes (tie to the tap or a hook over the sink) until no more whey drips from the cloth. Don't over-drain — chenna should be moist and soft, not dry and crumbly.
Check texture
- Chenna is ready when it holds together when pressed but still feels soft and slightly moist — like a soft, pliable dough. If it's crumbly and dry, it's been over-drained. If it's wet and won't hold any shape, hang for 10 more minutes.
Storage
- Fridge: Use within 2 days, airtight.
- Freezer: Not suitable — freezing makes the texture grainy and waterlogged on thawing.
Notes
- Full-fat milk produces more chenna with better texture. Low-fat milk produces less and the texture is noticeably inferior.
- White vinegar gives a neutral-tasting chenna — preferred for sandesh and sweets where you taste the chenna directly. Lemon juice works but adds a faint citrus note that the cold water rinse mostly (not entirely) removes.
- The cold water rinse after draining is important — don't skip it. It both stops the cooking and neutralizes the acid taste in the curds.
- For how to use chenna in specific sweets, see Chenna Guide.
Variations
- Paneer: Same curdling and draining steps, but press under a heavy weight (a pot filled with water works) for 1–2 hours until firm. Use in curry and sabzi applications.
- Chenna with cream: Replace 200ml of the milk with heavy cream for a richer, more buttery chenna — good for sandesh served as dessert.
Added Oct 6, 2026 · Updated Oct 6, 2026