Paneer Cheese Balls, Indian Veg Starter

Paneer Cheese Balls Video by Tarla Dalal

1. In a deep bowl, take crumbled paneer. You can also grate it using a grater. Ensure you use fresh paneer which is soft and moist. To make fresh paneer check our recipe on homemade paneer using cow's milk .
   
2. Then add finely chopped onions to it. They give a nice bite to the paneer cheese balls on frying.
   
3. Add finely chopped green chillies. They add a punch of spice to the bland paneer and cheese.
   
4. Add finely chopped ginger.
   
5. Add the rice flour. They give the cottage cheese and cheese balls a very nice crispy texture on frying.
   
6. Add the besan and cornflour. They bind together all the ingredients very well.
   
7. Add finely chopped coriander and salt to taste. Mix well.
   
8. Divide the mixture into 20 equal portions.
   
9. Shape each portion into a flat round and put a small cube of cheese in the center. We have used processed cheese, you can also use cheddar cheese.
   
10. Bring all the sides together, seal them completely and roll them again lightly. If you don’t do this properly, there are chances of the ball breaking in the oil.
    
11. Heat the oil in a deep non-stick pan and deep-fry, a few balls at a time, on a medium flame till they turn golden brown in colour and crispy from all the sides.
    
12. Drain the crispy paneer cheese balls on an absorbent paper.
    
13. Serve immediately with chilli sauce. Insert a fancy wooden toothpick and serve this at your next get together or kid’s birthday party.
    
14. You can also use potatoes instead of paneer to make potato cheese stuffed balls. The crunchy exterior and melt-in-the mouth gooey texture makes them an exciting party starter.