Description
These fried paneer poppers are crispy, golden, and packed with flavor, served with a bright cilantro lime chutney for dipping. This easy paneer appetizer is an unexpected game day snack perfect for football parties, gatherings, and sharing.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Fried Paneer Poppers
- 2 blocks of paneer
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- Vegetable oil
Cilantro Mint Chutney
- 1 cup cilantro
- 1/3 cup mint
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 green Thai chilis
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1–2 tbsp plain yogurt
- 1–2 tsp water (for thinning)
Instructions
- Use a sharp knife and cutting board to cut the blocks of paneer cheese into 1-inch cubes.
- Prep your batter bowls. You will need three shallow bowls for battering. Bowl One: whisk together flour and spices. Bowl Two: Whisk eggs. Bowl Three: panko bread crumbs.
- Start breading the cheese cubes. Coat all sides of the paneer cubes in flour, remove any excess flour. Dredge the flour-coated cheese in egg then finish with an even coating of bread crumbs. Place the breaded cheese cubes on a plate as you bread the rest.
- In a deep skillet or dutch oven, heat oil to 350°F. Place a wire rack over a paper towel-lined baking sheet on the counter close to the frying pan. You will use this to place the fried cheese cubes.
- Once the oil reaches temperature, place 6-8 breaded cubes in the oil at a time. Fry the cheese cubes for 1-2 minutes on each side. Use a skimmer or slotted spoon to flip the cheese pieces over and frying until golden brown. (The good part about paneer is that it is won’t melt as it fries!)
- Place the cooked cheese bites on the wire rack to cool. Continue cooking the rest of the cheese, following instructions in step 5.
- In a blender, add cilantro mint chutney ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add water last if you need to thin out the sauce.
- Serve warm cheese bites with the sauce and enjoy.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes