Paneer Lollipops

I am a paneer maniac and so my husband calls me “Paneera”. Just can’t get enough of paneer. I can literally have it in any form. When a friend started an event on one of the food groups I follow, I just couldn’t stop myself from making something having my favorite ingredient. And so, I made paneer lollipops and paneer avacado kababs. Served with mint chutney and tomato soup.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) finely crumbled (I used home made)
• 2 Potatoes (boiled and mashed)
• 4 Baby corn (thoroughly washed)
• 2 Green Chilies (finely chopped)
• 2 Garlic Gloves (minced)
• 1 inch Ginger (finely chopped or grated)
• 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1.5 tbsp Corn Starch
• 2 tbsp Mozzarella Cheese (grated)
• 2 tbsp All Purpose flour (for dusting)
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Mix paneer, potatoes, green chilies, ginger, garlic, salt, soy sauce, and corn starch. Mash them. You should get a thick and tight dough. If it is too tight, it will be crumbly, so add a few drops of water. If it is too soft, you wont be able to shape it into drumsticks. In this case, add more paneer or cornstarch.
2. Make small rounds of the dough and make sure its smooth.
3. Press the roundel with your thumb and make a pit in the roundel.
4. Fill in some grated mozzarella and close the pit, forming the roundel again.
5. Now pierce the dough round with the thicker end of the baby corn.
6. Slowly using your hands, shape them into drumsticks. Press down the dough over the baby corn so that the edges are smooth and it looks like a lollipop.
7. With the ratio mentioned above you will be able to make 4 lollipops (it was enough for me and my husband as we also had avacado kababs and soup with it. You can increase the quantity as per your need).
8. Place them in the fridge for 10 minutes. It helps to keep the lollipops intact without disintegrating and also seems to soak up oil less than norm. It is an optional step though.
9. Finally, remove from the fridge and heat some oil for deep frying.
10. Place the all purpose flour in a plate and dust the lollipop with it. Remove excess flour by tapping it gently against your hands.
11. Now deep fry the lollipops and enjoy with mint chutney.