Floating Melon Sandesh
Floating Melon Sandesh is a refreshing take on classic kachagola sandesh, paired with juicy melon balls, a light chilled melon juice, and a vibrant raspberry sauce. Finished with saffron, pistachios, and a touch of gold foil, it’s an elegant dessert that feels festive without being too heavy.
Ingredients
Sandesh:
- 1/2 gallon milk , 2 liters
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp vinegar , mixed in 3/4 cup water
- 5 tbsp sugar , pulsed in a blender to make it finer if granulated sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp rose water
- 2 tbsp milk powder or desiccated coconut , for coating
Raspberry Sauce:
- 2/3 cup raspberries , frozen
- 1/4 cup water
- 2-3 tbsp sugar , or as needed
- pinch salt
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1-2 tbsp water , for the cornstarch slurry
Melon Juice:
- 1/2 ripe melon of your choice , such as cantaloupe, honeydew or muskmelon
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 2 tbsp condensed milk or sugar as needed, adjust to taste
- pinch salt
Assembly:
- fresh melon balls
- saffron water
- saffron strands
- pistachio , chopped
- dried rose petals
- edible gold foil , optional
Instructions
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To make the sandesh, in a heavy-bottomed pan, add water (to prevent the milk from sticking) and the milk. Let this come to a boil on medium heat and then take this off the heat. Slowly stir in the diluted vinegar (i.e. vinegar mixed with water) until the milk curdles.
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Drain the curdled milk using a cheesecloth and rinse it with 3 to 4 cups of cold water to remove the lemon flavor. Don't over rinse the chenna.
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Lightly squeeze the excess water. Hang the cloth along with curdled milk (chenna) for 20 minutes. It should still retain some moisture.. Don't hang it for more time otherwise it will loose moisture and become very dry.
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Take out the chenna onto a plate and knead it with your palm for 5-7 minutes until it becomes soft and smooth and there are no cracks. Divide this into two equal parts.
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Transfer half of the chenna into a pan with sugar and cornstarch. Let this cook on low-medium heat for 5 minutes until it comes together and starts leaving the sides of the pan. This roasted chenna helps ensure the binding of the sugar and gives a really nice texture to the sandesh. Transfer this to a plate and let it cool for 10 minutes in the fridge.
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While this is cooling, we'll make our raspberry sauce. Add the frozen raspberries, ¼ cup water, sugar, and salt to a small pan. Cook until the raspberries soften and become slightly jammy.
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Then mix the cornstarch with 1–2 tablespoons water to make a slurry. Add it to the raspberries and cook until the sauce thickens slightly. Strain and let it cool completely.
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Mix the roasted and regular chenna on a plate and knead gently with your palms until the come together. Add in the rosewater and fold gently.
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Shape the sandesh into equally-sized small balls, I was able to make 20 pcs. Roll them in some milk powder or desiccated coconut.
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For the melon juice, cut and deseed the melon. Reserve some melon for making fresh melon balls.
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Blend the remaining melon with coconut milk, condensed milk or sugar as needed, and a pinch of salt until smooth. Strain and chill thoroughly.
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To assemble, add fresh melon balls and kachagola sandesh to the serving glass.
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Gently pour the very well-chilled melon juice around them.
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Top with raspberry sauce, saffron water, saffron strands, pistachios, rose petals, and a touch of edible gold foil.
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Serve immediately while chilled.