Let's get dipping! Cut paneer cheese cubes are rolled in a coconut curry Indian breading. Then they are baked or fried until a crispy golden brown! (Gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, soy free, nut free).
FAQ
It is commonly referred to as Indian cottage cheese. It is made from buffalo or cow milk, then curdled with an acid like vinegar or lemon juice. I like it for cheese bites because it doesn't melt and keeps a perfect shape!
Indian recipes are the most common recipes, and often you'll find them in recipes like marsalas, fritters, wraps and curry based dishes.
Pick it up at any Indian market, or in the specialty cheese section at your local grocery store. It usually runs under $10 for a block.
Ingredients
The ingredients are pretty easy for this recipe. In addition to the cheese to make the coating you will need:
- Coconut flakes
- Flour
- Panko bread crumbs
- Curry or Indian curry seasoning blend
- Red chili powder (optional)
- Coconut milk
- Paneer cheese (we used Gopi)
Preparing
In a bowl, mix together all ingredients minus the coconut milk. Pour your coconut milk into a separate bowl, Dip the cheese bites into the coconut milk until covered, then place the cheese bites into the bread mixture and roll until covered completely.
There are three ways you can prepare the cheese bites:
- Air fryer: Set air fryer to 350 degrees and bake cheese bites for 10-12 minutes, flipping half way through baking. Cheese bites are done when coating is lightly browned.
- Oven: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the prepared cheese bites on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway through baking. Remove once lightly browned.
- Frying: Heat approximately ½-1 inch of oil in a pan. (Oil is ready for frying at approximately 350 degrees. I don't put the temperature above medium heat or it just bakes and burns too quickly). Place the cheese bites in the oil until lightly browned on one side, then flip and allow the bites to cook until browned on the other side. Remove the bites from the oil and place on a bed of paper towels to drain.
Indian dipping sauce
I will admit the cheese bites alone are good and very good for mild palates. They are kid friendly too. But they kind of taste like a smoothie I had on a trip to Mexico. A man was handing out samples of coconut smoothies. I tried it. It was nothing special and honestly pretty bland. "Espere!" (wait) he said. He threw in some different spices both hot and savory and said, "ahora intenta." (now try) Wow! It wasn't hot, wasn't spicy but instantly subdued the overwhelming coconut flavor it had previously and brought out some amazing complementary flavors.
This is why dipping sauce is crucial here. It's fun to experiment dipping your cheese bites into different sauces and it just adds some incredible flavor to the cheese bites and vice versa with the sauce.
Here are some of our favorites:
Indian Red or Green Chili Sauce Tikki Masala Dipping Sauce Chutney Dipping Sauce
Storing
Unfortunately, breaded items like this don't seem to store very well. The breading often starts to get soggy after a day or so of storing. If you are using the air fryer or oven method, you can try to throw them back into the air fryer or oven for several minutes before eating, but I recommend that you enjoy these same day.
Coconut Curry Indian Cheese Bites with Paneer Cheese and Indian dipping sauce
Ingredients
- 8 oz paneer cheese cut into 20 squares
- ¼ cup coconut flakes
- 2 tbsp flour
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp curry powder or Indian seasoning blend see notes
- ½ tsp red chili powder if using curry powder optional
- 1 cup coconut milk
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together all ingredients minus the coconut milk. Pour your coconut milk into a separate bowl, Dip the cheese bites into the coconut milk until covered, then place the cheese bites into the bread mixture and roll until covered completely.
- See notes for cooking and storing methods.
Video
Notes
- Air fryer: Set air fryer to 350 degrees and bake cheese bites for 10-12 minutes, flipping half way through baking. Cheese bites are done when coating is lightly browned.
- Oven: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the prepared cheese bites on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway through baking. Remove once lightly browned.
- Frying: Heat approximately ½-1 inch of oil in a pan. (Oil is ready for frying at approximately 350 degrees. I don't put the temperature above medium heat or it just bakes and burns too quickly). Place the cheese bites in the oil until lightly browned on one side, then flip and allow the bites to cook until browned on the other side. Remove the bites from the oil and place on a bed of paper towels to drain.
- Flour: You can substitute gluten free flour blend
- Panko: Use gluten free panko or rice panko crumbs
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This was recipe campaign with Gopi cheese and Karoun Dairies. All opinions of the product are our own. More information can be found here:
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