Making Paneer Cheese

Making Paneer Cheese at home

I first made my most beloved Indian dish at home in America. I could eat Palak Paneer day in and out! There are so many different ways to make this delicious (and potentially very healthy) Indian dish. 

Below is the recipe for just the Paneer cheese. I decided to show this separately from the actual main dish because there are many different form of paneer you can make depending on what you're using it for! 

*it's fantastic stuffed in to Naan bread with spices (sweet or spicy) then pan fried... like Kulcha!

ingredients:

• 8 cups (half gallon) milk (organic non-processed whole milk works best)
• 1/4 cup lemon Juice

*want more? double up, just make sure your pots and pans are big enough... though I find that this amount makes just the right amount for a double serving of Palak Paneer... mmmhhh my favorite!


how to:

1. Mix lemon juice in half cup of hot water and put aside.
2. Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, making sure not to burn milk.
3. As the milk comes to a boil, add the lemon juice gradually and stir the milk gently. The curd will start separating from the whey, turn off the heat.
4. Once the milk fat has separated from the whey, drain the whey using a strainer line with cheesecloth, or muslin cloth.
5. Wrap the curds in a muslin cloth, rinse under cold water, and squeeze well. This process takes out the sourness from the lemon.
6. To take out the excess water, press the wrapped paneer under a heavy pan for about 1 hour.

 

  

The round ball of paneer (above) is what I ended up pressing for two hours under a weighted pan. I just put the cheese on my cutting board wrapped in a loose round shape using the cheese cloth, the on top of it a pan with things to weight it down. I tilted my cutting board slightly so that the excess whey and water would run down it into a catch tray (I can use it to boil rice or noodles, or even freeze it for other cheese till later)

Enjoy your Indian!!

Here are some tips I found for making different kinds of Paneer:

If paneer will be used to make any dessert dish:

1. The most important part of making paneer for dessert is how much water to take out from the paneer.
2. To check if right amount of  water is out of the paneer, take a little piece of paneer on your palm and rub with your fingers. After rubbing the paneer for about 15-20 seconds, you should be able to make a firm but smooth ball.
3. For making sweets, paneer can be refrigerated for 1 to 2 days.
4. Paneer from half-gallon milk will make about 15 to 20 rasgullas.
5. I suggest 2% milk for rasgullas, rasmalai, chamcham or any other dish in that category.
6. For sandaish, burfee or any other such dish use regular whole milk.

If paneer will be used for making main dishes:

1. Before Pressing the paneer knead it enough so paneer is not crumbly.
2. Press the paneer instead one hour, two hours making firmer.
3. Cut the paneer to desired shape. Paneer can be refrigerated for a few days or kept frozen for months.