Mac n Cheese Bites

Cheesy bites made with macaroni, crisp on the outside and soft and creamy inside

Ingredients:

250g macaroni

250g cheddar cheese

100g mozzarella cheese

1 tbsp soft cheese (cheese spread)

30g diced onion (1 small)

125g sweet corn

Oil for deep frying

White sauce (bachemel sauce)

250ml - 325ml milk

2 tbsp plain flour

3 tbsp butter

Alternatively use readymade white sauce 1 bottle (340g) available in supermarkets

seasonings

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp salt

1 tsp dried parsley (or any herb of your choice)

½ tsp black pepper powder

½ tsp cayenne pepper (if available for a little tangy flavour)

½ tsp mustard powder

2 Chicken /vegetable stock cubes

For outer layer

2 eggs

125g dried breadcrumbs or panko crumbs (approx.)

(I have used panko crumbs in my recipe here)

Method:

In a pan add I tbsp butter and saute onion. Do not brown, fry it just until transparent. Add sweet corns and fry for another minute.

Add macaroni and all the seasonings. Add 500 ml of water and cover cook till macaroni softens. You can add some more water if its dried up and macaroni is not soft enough or if its some extra water and the macaroni is done, take the lid off and dry off the water by gently stirring on medium flame

.

On the others side, in another pan melt 2 tbsp butter and saute plain flour. When it changes colour, add milk and stir immediately to avoid lumps. Keep the flame low to medium. When it starts to thicken, take off the heat.

Alternatively: You can also use the readymade white sauce (bachemel sauce) available in the supermarkets to replace this step

When the macaroni is ready pour the white sauce and mix in both the cheese alongwith soft cheese.

Mac n cheese is now ready to serve in two ways.

Method 1

Spread the prepared macaroni mixture in a baking dish. Top it with the dried breadcrumbs. Bake it in a preheated oven at 250°c for about 10-15 minutes or until the crumbs get a golden colour. Ready to dig in!

Method 2 (for making bites)

Roll them in a round shape into the desired size. Dip it in whisked egg and roll over breadcrumbs/panko crumbs. Keep them aside. Deep fry on medium heat for 4-5 mins until golden from outside. Does not need much cooking because all the ingredients are cooked. You can also put them in a tray and freeze them. Once frozen place them in a bag and store in a freezer.

Alternatively spread them in a tray with about 1” thickness. If you have more mixture place cling film on top and spread the mixture. Leave it in the freezer for about two hours. When frozen use a knife to cut into squares. If difficult to cut through, dip the knife in hot water before cutting. Dip each square and roll it in crumbs one at a time. Set aside. Fry them fresh or place them in a tray to freeze. Once frozen transfer them into a freezer bag to store.

When frying frozen mac n cheese bites, take them out of the freezer at least 20-25 mins before frying. Because they are not fried for too long, the bites remain frozen from inside if fried straightaway from the freezer. This will help them defrost naturally and ready for frying. Preheat the oil in a deep frying pan and fry on medium flame until golden.