Crunchy Paneer Pakora (by Sanjeev Kapoor)

Ingredients Cottage cheese (paneer) 250 grams Oil to deep fry Boondi 1 cup For garlic chutney Garlic 8-10 cloves Oil 1 teaspoon Red chilli powder 1 tablespoon Salt to taste For the batter Gram flour (besan) 1 cup Ginger ½ inch piece Garlic 5 cloves Red chilli powder 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder ½ teaspoon Soda bicarbonate a pinch Salt to taste Method 1. Cut cottage cheese into two inch by half inch by half inch sized batons. Slit each baton but do not cut through. 2. Crush the boondi with your hand and keep aside. 3. To make garlic chutney, roast garlic in one teaspoon of oil. Mix with red chilli powder and salt and grind to a smooth paste. 4. To prepare batter, grind ginger and garlic to a paste. Mix gram flour with this paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, soda bicarbonate and salt. Add sufficient water and whisk well to make a batter of a coating consistency. Rest the batter for about fifteen minutes. 5. Stuff garlic chutney into the slit of each cottage cheese baton. 6. Heat sufficient oil in a kadai, dip each baton into the batter, roll in the crushed boondi and deep fry on medium heat till crisp and golden brown. Drain and place on an absorbent paper. 7. Serve hot with a chutney of your choice.