Paneer Pakora / Cheese Fritters

Paneer Pakoras / Cheese Fritters are extremely delicious appetizers that you would love to eat any day at any time. Making paneer pakora or cheese fritters is very easy. Read the whole article to learn the recipe and helpful tips for making Paneer Pakora / Cheese fritters. Gluten free, eggless, and 3-step recipe!

To make Cheese Fritters you can use Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese) or any kind of cheese cube that you love. For the batter we can use besan (that is chickpea flour or gram flour) and combine it with flavorful spices and water. Paneer / Cheese of your choice and Besan (Chickpea or gram flour) are very high in protein. Despite being fried, this appetizer is a very good protein source.

If you do not have besan, you can use all-purpose flour and milk to make the batter. Instead of besan (chickpea flour) batter, you can combine all-purpose flour, milk, one egg, pinch of baking powder, salt and pepper according to your taste, and make a batter. The fritters will taste very delicious. 

Traditional Ingredients 

Traditional recipe of paneer pakora requires using paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese) and besan (that is chickpea flour or gram flour) as the main ingredients. Both these ingredients are easily available in nearby Indian store or any ethnic stores. Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) is easily available in Indian store. It can be easily made at home too.

How to make Paneer at home?

• Bring the milk to boil.
• Let it cool a bit for about 5 minutes.
• Add lemon juice of about two lemons / limes per half gallon of milk.
• Let the milk curdle completely.
• Once the milk turns acidic, the milk protein coagulates and forms clumps called curds. These curds will get separated from the watery portion of the milk.
• Take a big deep vessel.

• Cover it with white cheese cloth or clean white cotton cloth.
• Transfer the curdled milk to the cloth and strain the milk curds and separate them from the watery part of the curdled milk.
• All milk curds will be separated and be there on the cheese cloth or white cotton cloth. Rest of the watery portion will be collected in the deep vessel underneath the cloth.
• With a spoon bring all the milk curds to the center of the cloth.

• Bring all the ends of the cloth in the middle and tie it really tight.
• Now hang this cheese / paneer in the cloth for about 2 hours.

• If your cheese has not solidified enough put a heavy weight on the tied cloth for another few hours.
• Put this setting in the refrigerator over night.
• Hard and Solid cottage cheese / Paneer is ready.

How To Make Paneer Pakoras / Cheese Fritters? 

Time required to Prepare and Cook – 20 minutes

Required Ingredients

• 400 grams  Indian Cottage Cheese / Paneer Chunks – If using paneer slab cut it into square or rectangular pieces of your desired size.  Or If you do not want to use Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese) then you can use cheese cubes of your choice like mozzarella, cheddar, jalapeno cheese cubes, etc..
• 1-2 teaspoon Chaat Masala (optional)
• Salt and red chili powder according to taste
• Cooking oil of your choice

Ingredients for Chickpea flour / gram flour / besan batter

• 2 cups of besan / gram flour / chickpea flour
• 2 tablespoon of rice flour or regular wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder (also called haldi)
• 1 teaspoon of red chili powder
• Salt according to taste
• Drinking water
• 1 teaspoon of ajwain (carom seeds) – optional – helps in digestion
• Oil for frying

Recipe

• In a wide bowl take cubes of paneer (Indian cottage cheese) or any cheese of your choice. 

• This step is optional – add 1-2 tea spoon of chaat masala and add salt and chili powder according to your taste to the cheese / paneer cubes. Add 1 table spoon of cooking oil of your choice. Mix it up with your hands. Let the paneer or cheese of your choice marinate with the spices for 20 – 30 minutes.
• Marinating step given above adds taste but it is totally optional.
• To make batter, in a separate big bowl, take chickpea flour / gram flour / besan.

  

  • Add salt, turmeric powder, ajwain (carom seeds), rice flour or wheat flour, red chili powder, and mix all the dry ingredients well.

  

  • Now start adding water to it little by little to make a batter. Batter should not be extremely thin or thick. It should be somewhere in the middle.
• Take a deep-frying pan and heat up the oil until it reaches the frying temperature. 

• Now dip the paneer or cheese cubes in the batter and put them in the frying pan and fry the fritters / pakora until they turn golden yellow in color. Fry on a medium flame.

• Once fried, transfer them to a flat plate lined with paper towel. This will soak up the extra oil from the fritters.
• Once ready, sprinkle 2 pinches of chaat masala on the fritter / pakora evenly – This step is optional.

• Eat / serve paneer pakora / cheese fritters with dips like cilantro (coriander) chutney or mint cilantro (coriander) chutney or date dip or ketchup. You can eat this appetizer without any dip too.

Tips

• To make this appetizer dairy free, you can use any dairy free substitute of cheese or sliced vegetables like potatoes, carrots, cucumber, zucchini, cauliflower, onions, raw banana, and broccoli. Follow the same recipe. The fritters would taste absolutely delicious.
• Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) is easily available in any Indian store or some Costco or some ethnic grocery stores.
• Besan is basically chickpea flour it is also known as gram flour it is very high in protein and extremely good for health. It is easily available in any Indian grocery store. Before trying any new food please check for the food allergies.
• If you do not have besan, you can use all-purpose flour and milk to make the batter. Instead of besan (chickpea flour) batter, you can combine all-purpose flour, milk, one egg, pinch of baking powder, salt and pepper according to your taste, and make a batter. The fritters will taste very delicious.
• These fritters can stay good in refrigerator for 2-3 days. Warm them up before eating.

Click the link below to know how to make Indian style Cilantro Mint Chutney / Dip

Cilantro Mint Chutney – Dip / Coriander Mint Chutney – Dip / Fudina Chutney

Click the link below to know how to make Indian style Cilantro (Coriander) Chutney / Dip

Cilantro (Coriander leaves) chutney recipe 

Click the link below to know how to make beetroot patties (low calorie and delicious patties) to use in this burger instead of fried fritters.

Beet root Potato patties recipe

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