This Indian snack in the form of cheese and chickpea balls is very popular among vegetarians. To make this treat, you need to find a garam masala spice blend (or replace it with curry) and chickpea flour (which replaces pea or rice flour perfectly).
Palak kofta, spinach and cheese balls
6 servings, cooking: 45 mins.
What you need:
200g spinach leaves.
170 g paneer (adygei cheese)
2 small boiled potatoes
30 g cashews
1 small onion
3 garlic cloves
2.5-3 cm fresh ginger root
1 small green chilli
50 g chickpea flour or pea flour
vegetable oil for frying
0.5 tsp. garam masala spice mix
corn starch for coating
salt
curry sauce and tomato sauce to serve
What to do:
1. Peel and chop onion, garlic, chilli and ginger. Fry in 1 tbsp vegetable oil for 1 minute.
2. Add the spinach, cover and cook until the leaves have wilted, 2 minutes. Chop the contents of the pan and the cashews with a blender to a purée.
3. Grate the potatoes and cheese on a fine grater, mix with the spinach purée, chickpea flour, salt and spices. You should have a thick, sticky mass. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. Pour the frying oil into a small pan and place over a medium heat. Sprinkle the cornstarch on a plate.
5. Take a plum-sized piece of spinach mixture, roll into a neat ball and coat in the starch. When the oil is heated to 170 °C, drop several balls at a time, shaking off excess starch from them. Fry until crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove the cooked koftas on flattened paper towels. Serve warm, with curry and tomato sauces.