PANTUA(BENGALI DEEP FIRED CHEESE BALLS IN SWEET CARDAMOM SYRUP)

Sweets in Bengal is generally made by milk productes like Chenna (cottage cheese) or Khoa (reduced solified milk) with a little addition of flour or any other ingredient.Pantua is a sweet dish from Bengal, made with chenna (paneer). This is very similar to roshgolla but deep fried.

                                                                     

My experiance with Pantua first I made this sweet they blast all over the kitchen and my kitchen is filled with oil
This disaster because of extra flour Ihave aded and I didn't knead the chenna well.
so main point is knead the chenna well in to a smooth paste (don't add water if you add water then you have to add more flour. more flour will give a result of hard texture.)
place chenna on a flat surface and knead it with your palm.
Fallow the recipe and use the flour how much given in the recipe more flour will give a result of hard balls and they may blast.
If you add less flour cheese balls may become oily or they may split in the oil at
frying time. So be carefull don't fear
I tried 3 times 3 rd time I got the right texture and taste .
Trust me and give a try to this delicious Bengali sweet PANTUA
                                                         

FOR CHENNA(COTTAGE CHEESE):
Milk -- 1 liter
Lemon juice -- 1 tab sp
1. Boil milk in a pan bring to a full boil and add lemon juice stir well and let the milk curdle and bring to a full boil once more This will take 7 to 8 minutes.
2.Remove from heat and let it sit for 10 minutes then strain from a muslin cloth and hang this for few hours to remove all the water from paneer.
After this you channa is ready.
For filling:
Khoya --3/4 cup
Raisins -- hand full
Mix khoya and raisins and leave a side. If you don't like to fill with khoya the leave it and can use only raisin to stuff the cheese balls.
For pantua balls:-
Chenna (paneer,cottage cheese) -- made from 1 liter milk
Ghee -- 1tea sp
Flour (plain flour,all purpose flour, maida) -- 1& 1/2 tab sp
Baking Soda -- a pinch
1. Mix all the above 4 ingredients and knead gently in to a very soft and forms in to a smooth ball.
2.Now divide this dough in to equal portions and make smooth balls.
3. Make a cup shape with this cheese ball and stuff with khoya and raisin mixture and close from all sides and form in to a smooth ball again.
For Sugar Syrup:--
Sugar -- 1 & 1/2 cup
Milk -- 1 tab sp
Cardamom powder -- 1 tea sp
1. Add 1 cup water and 1&1/2 cup sugar to a thick bottom pan let the sugar dissolve well and add 1 tab sp milk let it boil for a while bythe the time all the dirt comes to the suface,remove from heat and strain the syrup.
2. Again pour the syrup in the vessel and bring to boil and let it boil till you get a sticky syrup.Keep the syrup warm.
3. Heat Ghee in a deep frying pan keep the flame low and drop the cheese balls slowly and fry the balls in a low flame till nice golden color.
4. While frying stir the oil with a slotted spoon but not touch the balls,keep swirling the oil with out tossing or turning the chenna balls.
5. when they turn in to golden remove from the ghee. Drain well to remove the extra ghee.
6. Immerse the fried chenna balls in warm sugar syrup.
7.Allow them to soak at least for 1 hour.
Enjoy the Pantua's
This delicious Pantua's are on the way to Padmaja's celebrate sweets - bengali event by Nivedita