Delicious Bengali Dessert Sandesh

Sandesh is the most popular among the Bengali sweets. It is famed as a specialty of Bengal even outside the state. The most common way of making the sandesh is with the use of Chhana or cottage cheese. Chhana is the solid form which is separated by curdling milk, and it has wide application in sweet-preparation in Bengal. The simplest kind of Sandesh in Bengal is the kanchagolla. It is basically prepared by tossing the Chhana lightly with sugar over low heat. The sandesh is essentially hot, sweetened Chhana which has been shaped into balls. For the more complex and elaborately prepared sandesh, the chhana which is used for preparation is dried and pressed, flavoured with essence of fruits, sometimes even coloured and cooked to many different levels of consistencies. Sometimes it is filled with syrup, blended with coconut or kheer and moulded into a variety of shapes. These shapes can frequently be seen resembling conch-shells, elephants, fish etc. The shapes are mostly given my way of moulds. The majority of these moulds are carved out of stone, though some may also be carved from wood.

Speciality Sandesh, meaning those that are of a particular type or those that have been specially created in a place, abound in West Bengal.