Chef's Corner
Cheesy Pap Balls
Ingredients
- 4-5 cups water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 300g white maize meal
- 3 tbsp Kerrygold Butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 yellow pepper, diced
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 10g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
- 200g Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese, cut into cubes
- Flour, for coating
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1.5 cups vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Directions
- Add the butter to a frying pan on medium heat, and fry onion and peppers until golden. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Set aside.
- Add half the water to a large pot on medium-high heat, bring to a boil.
- Mix the remaining water with the maize meal to form a thick paste, add this to the pot of boiling water while whisking.
- Allow the pap to cook, stirring it occasionally to prevent burning, for 10-15 minutes – it will thicken and form a cooked film on the base of the pot.
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Add the pepper mixture to the pap, along with the spices, herbs, and butter.
- Allow the pap to cool. Once cooled scoop 2 tbsp of the pap onto the palm of your hands and flatten gently, add a cube of the cheese to the centre and roll into a ball. Do this with the remaining pap and cheese cubes.
- Coat balls in flour, egg and breadcrumbs.
- Heat oil in a pot and deep-fry the pap balls for 3-4 minutes until golden. Drain on paper towels and serve warm with a side of pesto.
