Paneer Pakoda

It is one of those relaxed Sunday afternoons.. you are lazing your time away in the couch trying to watch a movie or something on TV .. but, with that deadly combination of a hearty, satisfying lunch and the cool breeze from the window, you are too wired to doze off .. and when you are so ready to shut your eye lids, that sudden loud sound from the play room jerks you up .. yet, not wanting to get up, just shouting out to your kids to make sure that things are okay and get back to TV to catch up from where you'd left ..

I am sure this would be one of the most common sunday-afternoon-scenes after that l-o-o-o-o-o-ng tiring week. Just imagine this scene with a bowl of 'something-to-munch' or 'paneer pakoda' accompanied by a hot mug of strong coffee.. what a perfect way to end your weekend?!

And, can I proudly say that this is one of my original recipes! I simply put up this recipe on the fly with whatever available in my pantry and voila., paneer pakoda was ready! Every ingredient in this recipe complemented every other ingredient so well that you wouldn't want to stop munching!

My proportion of chickpea flour & rice flour (2:1) gives a soft texture to the pakodas, but if you want a crunchier texture make it 1:2. Check out my other pakoda recipe here, if you want to make crispy onion pakodas. Adjust the number of green chillies and chili powder to make it a perfect snack for the kids!

Basic Info

Complexity - Medium
Prep time - 10 mins
Cook time - 20 mins
Serves - 2-3

Ingredients
Besan (chickpea flour) - 2 cups
Rice flour - 1 cup
Grated paneer - 1/4 - 1/2 cup (use more or less as you prefer)
Mint leaves - 2 - 3 tbsp (use more or less as you prefer)
Green chillies - 2 nos (finely chopped)
Ginger - 1 inch (grated)
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp (adjust to your taste)
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Oil - for deep frying

Method

Grate paneer block, ginger and keep it aside. Chop green chillies & mint leaves into fine pieces and set aside.

Heat oil (just enough to fry) in a deep pan (on medium heat).

In a large bowl, mix together besan, rice flour, grated paneer, chopped mint leaves, chopped green chillies, grated ginger, hing, salt, red chilli powder, salt and ghee.

To this mixture, add as much water as needed and mix until everything starts to come together. Add just enough water to make a stiff dough.

When the oil is hot enough, take a medium sized ball of dough, use your fingers to press & drop the dough into the oil to form small, bite-sized fritters (don't bother about the shape) and deep fry until golden brown. Do not overcrowd the oil.

Drain excess oil in a paper towel and serve hot.

Notes

- You can also add chopped onion, if you like.

- Do not make the dough ahead of time. Make dough as the oil is getting heated.