INGREDIENTS
freshly made paneer, cooled and grated
powdered natural sugar (almost half the amount as paneer portion, some prefer it less sweet, using only 1/3 the amount of paneer in proportion)
a few ground cardamom seeds
DIRECTIONS:
1. Knead the grated paneer until very smooth.
2. Add the sugar to 2/3 of the paneer, leaving the other 1/3 aside.
3. Add the cardamom and mix everything well.
4. Put all in a heavy bottomed frying pan and cook on very low heat about 10 minutes, pulling the curds very thing along the bottom with a spatula.
Cook until it becomes somewhat dry and less sticky.
5. Cool the sandesh and knead together with the remaining third of uncooked curd. Roll into balls and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Sandesh can also be pressed into fancy molds.Chopped pistachios make a nice garnish.
For dryer sandesh, do not divide it in the beginning. Just cook the entire amount of paneer with the sugar. Knead well and smoothly after cooling.
Types of milk will also vary the texture. Using whole milk straight from a cow is more challenging than store bought homogenized milk. Some recommend skimming the cream first.