INGREDIENTS
50 g Cheddar cheese, 1 tbsp butter, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 ½ cups refined flour, ½ cup water, oil for frying, salt to taste
METHOD
• Grate the cheese finely (use the smallest size possible).
• Take cold butter and chop into small pieces with a knife. Make sure the butter is straight out of the fridge and is not at room temperature. Using cold butter will make the para crisp and flaky.
• Add salt, red chilli powder, grated cheese and butter with the refined flour.
• Add water and knead the mixture into a firm but smooth dough. Cover the mixture with a damp cloth/kitchen towel and let it rest for 15 minutes.
• Again knead the dough and divide it into four equal portions.
• Roll out each portion into a circle of approximately 8-inch diameter.
• Cut the circles into rectangular pieces such that each para is about half- inch long and one-inch wide.
• Heat oil on medium heat and fry the pieces till they turn golden brown in colour. (Take care that the pieces do not get over-fried or else the cheese will taste bitter.)
• Your Jeera Cheese Paras are ready to be served.
Note:
• Since the cheese is added directly to the flour while kneading the dough, make sure that it is finely grated else it will separate while frying and will get burnt.
• For every 1½ cups of flour, 50 grams of cheese is sufficient for a subtle cheesy taste. However, you can increase the amount of cheese in case you want the cheese to dominate the taste. But be careful while adding more cheese as it can separate while frying.
• You can substitute the red chilli powder with ground pepper as well.
