Diwali the name just conjures memories of lights, sweets, fun, laughter, family, fireworks and lots of joy and cheer. Diwali is the festival of lights and it also is the victory of good over darkness and evil.
The festival is celebrated in a different manner here in the US as compared to when we were young growing up in india. Nevertheless the significance of the festival is the same.
Oil baths, new outfits, gifts from parents and grandparents to little rituals like decorating the hot water pot with rangoli, flowers and placing coins in it to receive as a gift the next day, choosing what kind of fireworks to light along with buying small pistols to load rolls of fireworks and have fun with neighborhood kids.
For this Diwali as usual I made a lot of treats and goodies which included various shapes of matri, peda, kaju katli, gujiya and orange sandesh dipped in chocolate.
I wanted to make a fusion dessert with chocolate and orange since it is a heavenly combination. Yes that’s right this is a very delectable and delicious dessert made with chhena or fresh paneer. I used some fresh orange rind and color for flavoring and made sandesh and melted some semi sweet chocolate and dipped the sandesh and voila– orange sandesh truffles are ready to be savoured.
Happy Diwali!!
Servings
15 Pieces
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Total Time
2-3 hours (includes draining paneer etc)
To make chhena or fresh paneer:
- 6 cups of milk
- Juice of 2 lemons or more as needed
- To make sandesh:
- About 1 cup chhena (made from 6 cups of milk)
- 6-8 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tsp fresh orange rind
- ¼ tsp orange extract
- Few drops of orange color
For chocolate covering:
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- Edible gold foil for decorating
Step 1
Boil milk in a heavy bottom pan. When it comes to a rolling boil reduce flame and add the lemon juice little by little and keep stirring. The milk starts to curdle and the whey looks clear. Turn off the flame and drain in a colander lined with cheesecloth.
Let it drain completely until there is no more water dripping. (this can take up to an hour) Let it cool.
Step 2
Knead the paneer for 2-3 minutes to make it smooth.
Step 3
In a non-stick pan add the fresh paneer, powdered sugar, rind, extract and color and cook on low flame for 3-5 minutes until any extra moisture evaporates.
Step 4
Cool this mixture and make about 14-15 balls and refrigerate it for an hour. You can also freeze it for 15 minutes.
Step 5
In a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips and coat the sandesh one by one and place on a cooling rack lined with a sheet tray to catch any dripping.
Step 6
Let the truffles dry completely, decorate with edible gold foil and serve. Any leftovers can be refrigerated.
Notes:
To make a double boiler, take a pan and boil water when it is boiling. Place the chocolate chips in a smaller bowl that fits in the big pan and melt the chocolate by whisking.
You can also use store bought paneer to make sandesh but the paneer had to kneaded for a longer time to remove the grainy texture.
The famous proverb "you are what you eat” as quoted by the French author Anthelme Brillat-Savarin is very true. Food nourishes you from the inside out. Good health is of utmost importance to me. Vegetarianism and Veganism are gaining immense popularity these days. Natural, organic, healthy and homemade is my mantra.
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