Paneer corn balls

Paneer... and by now you know what I would say... :) "Its my kids favorite" . I say this every time ans yes it is true - I really cant say much other than this. This is a version of paneer that my kids love to snack on almost every day but nope thats not the way we make it. It sure hits the snack menu a hell lot of times.

Soft, golden crispy, yummy paneer balls with beautiful golden corn popping out in every other bite makes this dish very very special to my kids. Not much spice but just enough to bring out the kick in it. Every time I make this, I have my little helpers right in the kitchen not even having the slightest thought of moving out. They sit right on the counter and help me with everything - say  cooking, cleaning, setting plates, 'bringing the ketchup bottle' and ofcourse eating:) . And the best part, the paneer balls never make their way out of the kitchen - yes they are gobbled down before they can be even transferred to a serving plate

Below is a quick snack/starter that will keep your kids busy licking their fingers

Serves... 2-3 kids
Serve option... Hot with ketchup

This is what u'll need....

Milk - 500 ml
Vinegar - 1 tbspn
Corn Flour - 1 tspn
Maida - 2 tspn
Bread slices - 1-2
Garlic - 2 cloves
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tspn
Jeera powder - 1/2 tsp
Chaat powder - 1/2 tspn
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Here is the stir....

• Pour milk in a pan and bring it a boil. Just when it is boiling add vinegar and immediately you will see the paneer and whey separating
• Drain the water in a strainer and transfer the paneer to a working bowl

• To the bowl add corn flour and maida/all-purpose flour. This will help in binding the ingredients together. Sprinkle in all the spice powders - red chilli powder, cumin powder, chaat masala and salt

• Peel the garlic cloves and grate them into the bowl. Garlic brings in a beautiful aroma to the recipe. If you dont like the smell you can always skip it

• Tear bread slices into 4-6 pieces and grind them dry in a blender. This has a beautiful flaky, airy texture that helps in making the paneer balls light and non-greasy

• Toss in golden corn and mix everything together. The mixture should look like a soft dough in a couple of stirs. In most cases you will not need water at all at this stage. But if you feel that your dough is not binding well and starts falling apart, you might want to add a few drops of water

• Shape the dough into 12 equal rounds and keep it ready for frying. In case you are gonna fry it later(as you can always) keep it covered so that it stays moist
• Heat oil in a pan and fry the balls until they are golden brown. Cooking on low flame is the best. It doesnt take long for these to cook, just drop them in and maybe 15-20 secs they are ready to be served

• Strain them out and drain them on a paper towel. Serve hot with ketchup

Note:

• Always homemade paneer tastes best for this recipe(in response to a friends query)
• Dont add too much corn flour/maida as it will make the dish too doughy
• Fry on low flame to avoid burning the balls
• You can use store-bought crumbs too but I just pick up a few slices of bread and stash them into the blender - sometimes toasted bread depending on the recipe. Whenever we have left-over bread I turn into crumbs and store them in the freezer(in response to a friends query)
• In case you are having guests come over, you can keep them ready early and fry them as they come in. Better leave it in the fridge in that case and put it out around 30 mins before they arrive