Papad Crusted Stuffed Paneer

Got this recipe from a friend and served it a recent dinner party. It is interesting as the outer coating is of papad crumbs and not bread crumbs. This starter was a big hit ! It is only slightly tricky to handle as the stuffing tends to spill out while dipping in the cornflour/papad. Trick is to be quick and make sure that the cornflour paste is not too runny. The filling can be flavoured as per your choice, you can add herbs/chopped capers/jalapenos etc..

Ingredients

200 gms paneer block

For the stuffing
3/4 cup grated cheese (regular processed cheese)
1/2 cup finely chopped mint leaves
2 chopped green chillies
1 teaspoon ajwain
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic

For the cornflour paste
2 tablespoons cornflour
2 tablespoons maida
3/4 cup water

For the papad layer
4-5 regular papads( I used Lijjat Garlic papad)

1. Cut the paneer into one inch cubes. Slice each cube horizontally into two pieces
2. Mix all the ingredients of the stuffing together
3. Place a little amount of the stuffing between the two halves of each cube and sandwich together.
4. Mix all the ingredients together of the cornflour and maida mixture to get a smooth paste
5. Grind the raw papad in a dry blender to get fine crumbs.
6. Hold each paneer cube (with the filling) with your thumb and forefinger and dip into the cornflour paste to coat from all sides . This needs to be done quickly as the filling tends to slip out (might require some practise)
7. Then roll the paneer in the papad crumbs
8. Keep all the coated paneer ready to fry together on a plate
9. Heat oil in a pan for shallow frying. When hot, add the paneer pieces and fry till all sides are browned and crisp.
10. Serve with mint chutney