Paneer (Homemade Indian Cheese)

⏳ Time

3 hours

🥕 Ingredients

🍽️ Servings

Description

Instead of yogurt, you can use sour cream or kefir in the same proportions. The first time I made paneer, I didn't keep it under pressure for long enough, about an hour, and that was my main mistake. It's better to increase the pressing time from 1 to 5 hours. Paneer goes well with any side dish or salad and can be served as an appetizer, pairing with a wide variety of sauces, spices, and herbs. Paneer tikka is especially good: marinated paneer in yogurt with Indian spices, grilled with bell peppers and onions.

Ingredients

Milk - 5 qt
Meyer Lemon Juice - 2 tablespoons
Natural Yogurt - 15 fl oz
Salt - to taste
Turmeric - to taste
Mild Chili Spice - to taste
Ground coriander - to taste
Saffron - to taste

Step by Step guide

Step 1

Place the milk over medium heat in a pot large enough to prevent it from boiling over. Optionally, you can add salt and chosen spices, or you can make it without spices and salt—it's all to your taste.

Step 2

Squeeze lemon juice into the yogurt. It is very important that the yogurt is at room temperature and not cold! As soon as the milk starts to boil, carefully start pouring in the yogurt in a thin stream. Slowly stir with a wooden spatula once it begins to boil. The milk will start to curdle, separating into a milk-transparent liquid (whey) and clumps of future cheese.

Step 3

Remove the pot from the heat. If the whey is not clear, put the pot back on the heat and add a bit more yogurt. Do not keep the paneer on the heat for too long, or it will become tough. The milk sold in our stores may not always curdle this way, as preservatives are added to it that prevent curdling. Even with a large amount of yogurt, the milk may only partially curdle and remain whitish. In this case, let the milk sit for a few hours until all the solid particles rise to the surface, forming a dense cheese layer.

Step 4

Next, line a colander with cheesecloth and pour the paneer into the cheesecloth. Rinse it under cold running water for half a minute to make it firmer and to remove the curdling agent that can spoil the taste of the paneer. Then squeeze out the excess liquid using the following methods. If you need firm paneer for making cheese cubes or cottage cheese sweets, tie up the cheesecloth with the paneer inside and place it under pressure for a while. The longer the paneer is under pressure, the firmer it will become. You can also hang it in the cheesecloth and leave it until all the moisture drains and the paneer hardens. If you need soft cheese, simply tighten the cheesecloth and squeeze out the water.