Spinach cheese balls with Mediterranean chickpea salad

Name: Spinach cheese balls with Mediterranean chickpea salad
Total time: 3600 s
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: For spinach cheese balls-; 2 cups spinach; 1 cup breadcrumbs; 2 tbsp corn starch; to taste Salt; 3 cheese cubes; 2 green chilli chopped; 2 tsp Ginger garlic paste; 1 med. Onion finely chopped; 2 tsp olive oil; For chickpea salad-; 2 cups chickpea, boiled; 1 med. French cucumber, chopped; 1/2 onion, thinly sliced; 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped; 1/4 capsicum, chopped; 1/2 cup olives, chopped; 1/2 cup tofu, crumbled; to taste Salt; 2 tsp ground black pepper; For Salad dressing-; 1/2 cup olive oil; 1/4 cup white wine vinegar; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tbsp freshly chopped cilantro; 1/4 tsp red pepper flaked; as per taste Salt; 2 tsp ground black pepper

Manisha Madan (Thedelhifoodiecouple) @cook_17299084

Delhi

This one is an Indo - Mediterranean fusion dish. Since spinach cheese balls come from an indian cuisine and chickpea salad is solely Mediterranean. From this week's mystery box challenge, the main ingredients that I have used here are SPINACH, CHICKPEAS AND CHEESE (CHEDDAR AND SOYA PANEER-TOFU). This dish has been cooked using 2 techniques, firstly, Baking to avoid the fried content and secondly, cook without fire. So here is this healthy fusion recipe for the first week challenge of Masterchef Challenges!
#thespicegirls
#mysteryweek

Manisha Madan (Thedelhifoodiecouple) @cook_17299084

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Ingredients

60 mins

6 servings

For spinach cheese balls-
2 cupsspinach
1 cupbreadcrumbs
2 tbspcorn starch
to tasteSalt
3cheese cubes
2green chilli chopped
2 tspGinger garlic paste
1med. Onion finely chopped
2 tspolive oil
Forchickpea salad-
2 cupschickpea, boiled
1med. French cucumber, chopped
1/2onion, thinly sliced
1yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/4capsicum, chopped
1/2 cupolives, chopped
1/2 cuptofu, crumbled
to tasteSalt
2 tspground black pepper
ForSalad dressing-
1/2 cupolive oil
1/4 cupwhite wine vinegar
1 tbsplemon juice
1 tbspfreshly chopped cilantro
1/4 tspred pepper flaked
as per tasteSalt
2 tspground black pepper

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Steps

60 mins

1

Firstly, let's have a look at the ingredients that we have to use for spinach cheese balls and Mediterranean chickpea salad and dressing.
2

For chickpea salad, soak 2 cups of chickpea overnight or for 8 hours. And then pressure cook it for 15-20 minutes. Well cooked chickpea will look like this!
3

To make Salad: In a large bowl, take boiled chickpeas, cucumber, bell pepper, capsicum, onion, olives and tofu. Toss all of them together. And season with salt and black pepper.
4

To make dressing: In a jar with lid, take olive oil, vinegar, lemon, lemon juice, cilantro and red chilli flakes. Shake it all well until it gets emulsified. And then add salt and pepper to this.
5

Pour this dressing over salad. And mix it nicely. Refrigerate it for half an hour and your salad is ready to be served!
6

For spinach cheese balls, heat 2 tsp oil in a pan and saute ginger garlic paste. And then add green chillies and onion.
7

Now add palak and saute till it shrinks.
8

Cool down the mixture and transfer it to a blender.
9

Add little water as required and blend it to a smooth paste.
10

Transfer this puree into a large mixing bowl. Add breadcrumbs, corn starch and salt.
11

Combine well to a nice dough.
12

Now cut the cheese cubes into smaller ones. Like I divided here one into four. Now grease your hands with oil and take a ball sized dough. Flatten by pressing it gently. And then place a cheese cube in the center and fold the edges together.
13

Seal it well and make a crack free ball. Because if there would be any crack, the cheese would melt and create mess while baking.
14

Make all the balls like this and preheat the oven at 250° F for 10 mins.
15

Now bake it in your OTG or convection oven at 180° for 20 minutes. Or you can also deep fry them.
16

And your spinach cheese balls are ready to be served!
17

You can serve these cheese balls with tomato ketchup too only. But I love accompanying it with the salad. So here is my dish ready to be served.