Place ricotta cheese in a muslin cloth and remove as much water you can.
Now place all the ingredients called to make cheese balls in a medium size bowl.
Mix well and make lime size balls.
Keep aside covered in the fridge.
For slurry
Mix flaxseed meal with warm water and keep aside for 5 minutes. It will turn into gel like consistency which will help coating the bread crumbs.
Meanwhile prepare the coating station.
Place cornstarch , bread crumbs , flaxmeal gel in 3 different bowls.
Now take one ball and roll it in cornstarch .
Now dip it in the slurry and coat well.
Then dunk it in the bread crumbs and roll it well.
Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat .
Once warm add in one cheese ball and see if it fries well and doesn’t break.
Now go ahead and fry 4-5 balls at a time until golden brown.
Repeat this with all the cheese balls .
Place them on a paper towel to remove excess oil if any.
Cooking in appe pan / aebleskiever pan
Heat up the appe pan on low medium heat, brush every cavity lightly with oil. Once warm , add the balls and brush them with oil , cook them until golden brown overall. Rotate and flip them in intervals with a help of a small spoon or wooden skewer as needed to evenly cook . The appe pan method is quiet slow but results are worth it. Alternatively you can bake them.
Serve warm with a side of your favorite dip , ketchup or chutney.
Baking it in the oven
Pre heat oven to 450 degrees F
Place all the coated cheese balls in a baking tray lined with foil and lightly brushed with oil .
Brush each ball with oil.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping them mid way or until light golden brown.
Please go through important notes for substitutions.
Notes
Condiments are used for elevating the flavor , you may use or skip them. Use store bought bread crumbs or baked bread crumbs for outer coating .Instead of flaxseed meal gel you can use cornstarch slurry.Make ahead of time tips.You can prepare the ricotta balls ahead of time. Roll it in bread crumbs . Place the balls in a tray/dish . Cover it with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge 2-3 days ahead of time. You may even fry a large batch hours before the party and store at room temperature. Just before serving warm them in the oven at 400 deg F for 10-15 minutes .