Pomegranate Studded Paneer Balls, The Sugar Free Way

• Time: 30mins
• Difficulty: easy
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Majority of the recipes I post on this blog are savoury. That’s because I don’t have much of a sweet tooth and when I do fancy something sweet, I tend to reach for a piece of chocolate or prunes or dried figs.

In other words, my cooking skills don’t really extend to desserts or puddings or the final course.

When I do make something sweet, it is usually for friends as was the case with this recipe. My friend Shamala and her husband Bachu were supposed to be coming over for dinner. Since they are both diabetic, I wanted to serve them a sugar free dessert.

Decided to combine the seasonal pomegranate with some homemade paneer and some dates for a low fat dinner finale.

To sweeten the balls, I added some powdered stevia.

soft, fluffy, fragrant and utterly moreish paneer balls for a delicate palate

Unfortunately, due to adverse weather conditions, Shamala and Bachu could not come. So I’ve ended up with a dessert which, fortunately, is not too calorific for my taste!

Another kooky recipe for keeps.

Caveat: I am not a nutritionist and do not claim that this recipe is diabetic friendly.

Ingredients

1 Litre milk

Juice of 2 limes or lemons

1/2 Cup fresh pomegranate seeds

4-5 Soft seedless dates

1 Teaspoon cardamom powder

4-5 Strands of saffron

1 Teaspoon powdered stevia

Method

1. First, make the paneer. For this, pour the milk in a clean saucepan and bring it to boil.
2. Once it reaches boiling point (starts rising), lower the heat and add the juice of lime or lemon. At this stage, the milk will start curdling.
3. Stir for a minute and take the saucepan off the heat.
4. Let it rest for a couple of minutes. You will see the cheese separate itself from the whey.
5. Drain in a fine sieve colander or muslin.
6. You will end up with soft paneer cheese.
7. Let the paneer cool down a bit.
8. In the meantime, finely chop the dates.
9. Once the paneer is slightly cooler (still warm to touch), squeeze out any excess moisture.
10. Put the paneer in a mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients: pomegranate seeds, chopped dates, cardamom powder, saffron strands and powdered stevia.
11. Mix well with your hand.
12. Form balls with both hands and place them in a container with a lid.
13. Once all the balls have been shaped, refrigerate for about 2 to 3 hours before serving.

Note:

1. You can adjust the quantity of stevia according to personal taste. But these balls are best not cloyingly sweet.
2. You can add some chopped walnuts or pistachios if you like.
3. Use semi-skimmed or regular milk to make the paneer, not fully skimmed.