One of the most useful and favorite foods is cottage cheese. It is rich in vitamins, minerals and trace elements, the effect of which on the body is difficult to overestimate. The cottage cheese contains a large amount of casein, a milk protein that is involved in the formation, strengthening and restoration of muscle tissue.
Despite its benefits, some people cannot consume this product in its pure form. Having studied the recipes proposed below, you will understand how to cook curd balls from cottage cheese and other ingredients in such a way as to diversify the menu and satisfy any, even the most refined, taste. We will tell you how to cook sweet, salty, spicy and savory dishes that are perfect as an appetizer to the festive table or just for dinner.
Fried curd balls
The first in our short review, we will consider the sweet dish that many grandmothers prepared in childhood. It's about fried curd balls. The recipe, according to the hostesses, has changed little over the past 15–20 years. True, the balls from this did not become less tasty and loved by both adults and children. For cooking, you should use the following ingredients:
- cottage cheese (preferably homemade) - 350 g;
- wheat flour - 1.5 tbsp .;
- granulated sugar - 0.5 tbsp .;
- eggs - 2 pcs.;
- vanilla sugar - 1 sachet (or vanillin - 0.5 sachets);
- confectionery baking powder - 1.5 tsp;
- salt - 1/4 tsp;
- Flavourless sunflower oil - 0.5 l (for deep fat).
Cooking process
So, how to cook curd balls from cottage cheese and other components? This process is not as complicated as it might seem at first.
You need to act like this:
- Break the eggs into a deep bowl, add a little salt, sugar and beat the mass with a whisk until foam is obtained.
- Pass the cottage cheese through a meat grinder (or sieve) and add to the egg mass. Stir with a fork.
- Sift the flour, mix with vanilla and baking powder and add a little to the egg-curd mass. Knead the contents of the bowl first with a spoon and then with your hands until a soft dough is obtained.
- Pour vegetable oil into a deep saucepan of small diameter and put on a stove, heat it hot.
- Slightly grease your hands with sunflower oil, scoop out the curd mass with a teaspoon, roll the balls and drop them into the stewpan for a few pieces.
- Deep-fry 3-5 minutes (depending on the size of the balls) on each side.
- With a slotted spoon, put the curd donuts on a paper towel folded in several layers to get rid of excess fat. Cool.
- Using a small strainer, sprinkle the donuts with icing sugar or pour over melted chocolate.
Balls with fish and garlic
You already know how to make curd balls in oil. But what if you need to surprise your guests with a lower-calorie snack? The dish that we will consider below is not a shame to serve at the festive table, and it will take a little time to prepare it.
Components:
- homemade cottage cheese - 0.4 kg;
- olives - 1 can;
- garlic - 3 small cloves;
- Parmesan cheese - 150 g;
- red fish (salted) - 250 g;
- fresh dill - 1/2 bunch;
- low-fat mayonnaise - 1.5 tbsp. l .;
- pepper, salt, spices - depending on personal preference.
The process of making this unusual snack is simple:
- Rub the cottage cheese through a sieve. Sell the garlic through a press, finely chop the greens.
- Grind hard cheese. Cut the fish into thin strips.
- In a bowl, mix the cottage cheese and herbs. Add mayonnaise, garlic and spices, salt, pepper.
- Form balls with wet palms, place an olive inside each. Roll the pieces in grated cheese and wrap in a strip of fish. Fasten with a skewer if the fish does not hold.
- Place snack balls on a beautiful dish and refrigerate for an hour.
Balls with garlic, carrots and herbs
Piquant balls of cottage cheese, the composition of which we will consider later, will be an excellent snack on a hot summer day. Light and delicate, they will not create heaviness in the stomach and will certainly please all guests.
It is necessary to prepare the following components:
- low-fat cottage cheese, rubbed through a sieve - 400 g;
- sandwich oil - 80 g;
- Fresh chicken eggs - 3 pcs.;
- garlic - 3-4 cloves;
- carrot - 1 pc.;
- any greenery - 1 bunch (medium);
- salt, pepper - 1 pinch.
To prepare such an appetizer you will not need much time:
- Finely chop the greens (cilantro, dill, parsley any you like).
- Hard-boiled eggs and separate the yolks from the proteins.
- Cook carrots, finely grate.
- Mix cottage cheese, carrots, garlic, passed through a press, greens and grated proteins until smooth.
- Add oil, salt, sprinkle with pepper and stir again.
- Roll up portioned balls, put them on a dish and sprinkle with crumbled yolks. Put in the cold for an hour.
How to cook curd balls from cottage cheese and nuts?
This recipe is a bit similar to the previous one, however, the components in it are much smaller. You will need:
- fat cottage cheese - 300 g;
- walnuts - 300 g;
- garlic - 2 cloves;
- fresh butter - 75 g;
- black and white pepper (ground), salt - 1 pinch.
Cooking such a dish is not difficult, but it tastes tender and satisfying. Cottage cheese must be passed through a sieve and mixed with soft butter, put the garlic, passed through the press. You can also mix all components except nuts with a blender. Add pepper, salt.
Fry nuts a bit, chop into large crumbs. Make balls and roll them in nut crumbs one at a time. Put the prepared snack in the cold for 25 minutes. Serve on lettuce leaves.
Color Assorted Balls
Based on the previous recipe, cottage cheese balls can be prepared in a variety of breading. So that the dish is not so high-calorie, instead of butter, you can add hard or cream cheese.
The recipe for the balls themselves will look like this:
- cottage cheese - 250 g;
- Parmesan cheese - 250 g;
- low-calorie mayonnaise - 1.5 tbsp. l .;
- garlic - 2 cloves (you can without it);
- dry herbs, salt, ground pepper - 1 pinch.
Grate hard cheese, pass the garlic through a press. Mix all the ingredients with cottage cheese, add pepper and salt, then season with mayonnaise. Form wet balls with wet hands. To make a real assorted tastes, you have to show imagination. Now you need to roll the "balls" in the breading. Ground paprika, chopped dill, white or black sesame seeds, coconut flakes, fried ground almonds, and so on, can play its wonderful role. To add even more flavor, you can put a piece of olive or red fish inside some balls.
Banana balls without baking
Well, in conclusion, let's look at how to cook curd balls from cottage cheese, cookies and fruits. This delicious and healthy dessert will decorate any meal and will surely appeal to children. Such a dessert is a wonderful alternative to harmful sweets and a great addition to tea or coffee. You will need such components:
- cottage cheese - 0.4 kg;
- Cookies like “Baked milk” - 0.2 kg;
- powdered sugar - 2 tbsp. l (less possible);
- honey - 3 tbsp. l (less possible);
- orange peel - 1 tsp;
- orange juice - 1 tbsp. l .;
- banana - 1 pc.;
- dark chocolate - 1/2 bar;
- cocoa powder - 2 tbsp. l .;
- coconut flakes, multi-colored can - 2 tbsp. l
To prepare this delicious dessert, you need to:
- Cut the banana into slices, pour in the orange juice and mashed with a fork.
- Grind cottage cheese with a blender or pass through a sieve or meat grinder.
- Add honey, orange zest and banana puree to the tender curd mass. Mix.
- Put the cookies in a tight bag, crush into small crumbs using a rolling pin.
- The resulting crumbs are portioned to add to the curd-honey mixture until a dense mass is obtained.
- Wet fingers roll small balls. Inside, if desired, you can put the filling: slices of banana, kiwi, dried fruits, berries, nuts, etc.
- Put the balls on a dish, cover with cling film and place in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
- After this time, get a dish and roll each ball in the selected breading: chocolate chips, icing sugar, colored or white coconut flakes, cocoa powder. You can also use crushed nuts or colored sugar powder (Easter cakes are sprinkled with it).
Such sweets are much more useful than regular store cakes. They will surely appeal to both children and adults.