There are two kinds of people in this world – those who love cheese and those who despise it. There is literally no in between when it comes to cheese.

However, chocolate is a different story. There are those who love chocolate – and the other kind doesn’t exist, or do they?

Let’s take a bit of a tour exploring cheese and chocolate, shall we?

Cheese

If there was one product that was highly misunderstood, extremely overused and loved across continents and all ages it is cheese. Every region has its own variety of cheese. We take our lens through the world of Indian cheeses.

For India, cheese is always Amul. We’ve grown up eating this slab of salty, cakey delight that would melt on bread and taste heavenly on pizza. It wasn’t until a few years ago that we were introduced to the other kinds – the stretchy mozzarella or the dessert-like cream cheese used in cheesecakes. Here are some Indian cheeses we should know of

1. Paneer

The most common, most eaten kind of cheese is paneer. Made by curdling milk and collecting the curds, draining it of all the water content by putting weights over the slab of curds, it has been used in Indian cuisine for centuries – particularly in North Indian dishes. 

2. Chenna

Chenna is the predecessor of paneer, the soft curds are called chenna. These are mainly used in Eastern India and are used to make sweets. Rosogolla, Sandesh, Chenna Toast, Chenna kheer the list is endless. Chenna also makes for a great ingredient to make dips! 

3. Bandel 

This cheese is again, local to Kolkata, where the Portuguese colonies had settled. They were introduced to Bandel, which like paneer was a fresh, cow’s milk cheese, soaked in brine to increase its shelf life. The Portuguese realized that smoking the soaked cheese could further increase the shelf life. This is why there are two types of bandel available in Kolkata. The soaked cheese is springy and fresh and can be used in salads and as a replacement for feta. The smoked on the other hand is denser and more palatable when paired with wines. 

4. Topli na paneer

Paneer but a softer, creamier version straight from the kitchens of the Parsis, this soft cheese is made using a rennet tablet, unlike regular paneer. Topli means a basket in Gujarati – translating it into basket cheese. It is called so because these cheese are left to sit overnight in small wicker baskets. These are eaten best at breakfast, as they are known to aid digestion.

5. Chhurpi

A denser, intensely flavoured cheese from Sikkim, the Chhurpi is a very hard cheese with a long shelf life. It is made from Yak milk and is curdled and set to dry to give it, its distinct flavour. Also, this is a super high protein cheese and it helps people in the highlands keep up with their nutritional needs.

6. Kalari Cheese

Kalari belongs to the Jammu region and is made from either cow or goat milk. It is a ripened cheese and has a stretchy texture like that of mozzarella. Only, Kalari is much more intense in terms of flavour. A great way to eat this cheese is by pan frying it whole and stuffing it between bread – this is called a kalari kulcha and is served with chutneys. 

Enough about cheeses, now let’s talk chocolate. We’ll circle back to cheese again.

Chocolate as we know it, comes from the cacao plant. The beans are dried and treated and churned to release butter. The extract is then mixed with essential fats and sugars to create what we love as chocolate.

Come Valentine’s Day and we all throng to buy bars and bars of Dairy Milk chocolates. But did you know that now India too has a very exotic and impressive chocolate profile. Here are some brands you should know about.

• Mason and Co.
• Ether
• Amul
• La Folie
• Soklet
• Vivanda
• Pascati
• Paul and Mike

Most chocolates that we love contain a high amount of cocoa butter – and is not real chocolate. Authentic chocolate has a very distinct flavour profile. It is velvety smooth on the tongue, melts in the mouth and has a distinctive snap when broken. Real chocolate is tempered to give its best aroma and taste. 

Chocolate & Cheese

Who would have ever thought that we will go around combining cheese and chocolate and create a unity in them! With chocolate flavoured Sondesh and chocolate cheesecakes, we’re breaking these barriers and creating a marriage that we never knew could ever happen!

Here are some dishes that use chocolate with cheese

1. Street side cheese chocolate sandwiches

Yes, you heard right! What we never thought was possible is now a reality. A lot of street vendors dish out this unique sandwich and the weird thing is – that it truly works! The salty cheese combined with the gooey melting chocolate does wonders for the taste palate.

2. Sandesh/Fudge

Chocolate fudge is best complimented with a block of cheese! And what better way to corroborate this than Sandesh. A fudge like Indian sweet made with curdled milk and cocoa powder, Sandesh essentially takes fresh cow’s cheese and turns it into a heavenly morsel of sweet delight. you can also create fugde by adding a pat of butter, some cheese and chocolate on a hot pan along with milk, sugar, cocoa and other ingredients. Cream cheese works best for this recipe!

3. Truffles

Chocolate truffles are made better with cheeses – add a smattering of cream cheese and roll these babies like ladoos – toss them in a big bowl of melting chocolate to coat and let them harden on a cool surface. Adding cream cheese to truffles simply raises the bar and increases the oomph factor by a large scale.