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I have shared many Indian fusion truffle recipes on the blog before from burfi truffles to badam halwa truffles but for this year’s festive season I thought of sharing a savory cheese truffle inspired by Indian flavors. These garlic chutney cheese truffles are rolled with a spicy dry garlic chutney. They will make a great appetizer for your Diwali or Thanksgiving parties. Serve them with naan bites or khakra for a Desi twist.
It’s no secret that I love Indian street food, it’s my favorite thing to eat in the whole wide world. And when it comes to street food, vada pav is definitely up there. The spicy garlic chutney that is topped on top of the batata vada is probably my favorite and I took inspiration from that to make these chutney cheese truffles.
The truffles themselves are made with cream cheese, cheddar cheese and crushed peanuts and then rolled into that spicy chutney. They are a flavor bomb!
Let’s Make Indian Inspired Cheese Truffles
- Roast and crush the peanuts
Dry roast the peanuts while being careful that they do not burn. Once roasted, crush them using a mortar and pestle. Grinding them in a spice grinder turns them into a powder and we want the texture of peanuts in the truffle so using a mortar and pestle works best.
- Make the cheese truffle base
Make the truffles by combining together the cream cheese (softened) with grated cheddar, parsley, crushed peanuts, salt and pepper. To spice things up, you can also add some cayenne pepper at this point. I did not add anything. Medium cheddar works best here but pepper jack will also work great.
- Roll into round truffles
The mixture will be sticky so you can roll into truffles immediately or pop it into the fridge for 30 minutes so that rolling becomes easier. It’s totally up to you, I roll them immediately and once I have made all the truffles, I then place them in the fridge for 2 hour to firm up before rolling them into chutney.
- Roast aromatics for the chutney
Meanwhile make the garlic chutney to roll the truffles in by dry roasting garlic, white sesame seeds and dry coconut. Be careful not to burn any of these.
- Make the garlic chutney
Make a coarse dry garlic chutney by pulsing all the ingredients together with salt, hing and Kashmiri red chili powder. Add 2 tablespoons of the chili powder for spicier chutney, 1 was good enough for me. And make sure to use Kashmiri red chili powder because it gives the chutney that nice color and is also not as hot as regular chili powder.
- Roll truffles into chutney
Roll the truffles into the prepared chutney. I use my hands to completely cover the truffle with the garlic chutney. Then they are basically read to serve. Make sure to leave them at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.
Make Advance
These truffles can be made in advance. Make them a night before your party and keep them refrigerated. You can either roll them before storing them in the fridge or do that the next day. I would recommend rolling them in chutney the next day. The only thing to remember is that you need to take them out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving. They should be a little soft before serving.
Manali’s Tips
- These aren’t super spicy and I like them like this. If you want to make them more spicy, add more of the Kashmiri red chili powder. I like to keep spice level moderate so that they can be enjoyed by everyone (mostly).
- You can serve these with crispy papdi, khakra, crackers, naan bites. Add a small skewer to these so that they are easier for guests to pick them up.
Garlic Chutney Cheese Truffles
Ingredients
- ¼ cup peanuts raw 50 grams
- 8 oz cream cheese at room temperature 226 grams
- 1 cup cheddar cheese grated, 100 grams
- 2 tablespoons parsley chopped
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- ⅛-¼ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 10 large garlic cloves grated, 30-35 grams
- 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
- 1 cup dry coconut slices 110 grams
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon hing
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder add more a spicier chutney
- crackers, khakra to serve
Instructions
- To a small pan on medium heat, add ¼ cup (50 grams) raw peanuts. Dry roast them stirring constantly for 2 to 3 minutes until they are golden brown in color. Do not burn them. Transfer them to a mortar and crush the peanuts using a pestle. We want the texture of peanuts in the truffles and hence I recommend using a mortar and pestle for this. Set this aside.
- Take a medium size ball, and to that add 8 oz (226 grams) cream cheese which must be softened and at room temperature. To that now add, 1 cup (100 grams) grated cheddar cheese, and 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped. Also add the roasted crushed peanuts that we prepared before and ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper and ⅛-¼ teaspoon salt. The cheese already has salt in it so taste and add only a little bit of salt here. The cheese mixture is now ready.
- If the mixture seems too wet, you can place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up a little before shaping into truffles or do it right away. I made them right away. Take 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture and roll between your palms to make a round ball. Make all truffles similarly and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I got 16 truffles from this mixture.
- Now, place the truffles in the fridge for an hour or so. You can even do this and keep them refrigerated overnight.
- To make the chutney, first dry roast 10 large garlic cloves (30-35 grams) in a pan on medium heat until they are light golden brown in color , around 5 to 6 minutes. Remove them in a bowl. To the same pan, now add 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds and roast for a minute or so on medium heat until they start popping and start turning golden brown in color. Transfer to the same bowl as the garlic.
- Now, to the same pan, add 1 cup (110 grams) dry coconut slices and dry roast for 4 to 5 minutes or until they change color. Transfer to the same bowl as the garlic and the sesame seeds. Let it all cool down.
- Transfer the roasted garlic, sesame seeds, and coconut to a spice grinder along with ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon hing and 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder. Add more of the chili powder for extra heat. Pulse to combine everything and make the chutney, the chutney should have a coarse texture.
- Transfer the dry garlic chutney to a plate. Take out truffles from the fridge and roll each truffle into the chutney. If chutney doesn't stick, press it onto the truffles with your hands. Coat all the truffles similarly.
- Add a small skewer to every truffle so that they are easier to pick and eat. Serve these garlic chutney cheese truffles at your party with naan dippers, khakra and crackers.
Notes
- These truffles are gluten free. Make sure to serve them up with gluten free crackers for your gluten free guests.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
