Paneer is a mild form of Indian Cheese, usually made from fresh whole milk. It is an un-aged, non-melting Cheese, with a firm texture that can withstand prolonged cooking times and still have the ability to retain its shape and texture. It is not surprising that India is the largest producer of Milk in the world, and Paneer remains the most common form of Cheese, used in various regional cuisines. The use of Paneer in curries is more common in Northern India, were it is made as Palak (Spinach) Paneer, Matar (Green Peas) Paneer and so on. Paneer is Eastern Indian is known as Sana in Orissa, Chhana in Assam and Chhena in Bengal, were it is made into Desserts like Rasagulla, Ras-Malai to name a few.
The big difference between Paneer, made for Curries and Sweets is in it's retention of moisture. Paneer for curries is pressed and for sweets is drained, so that some moisture is retained, which makes for a soft, malleable consistency. Although you can buy Paneer at any Indian grocery store, making Paneer at home results in the freshest and tastiest Cheese for any Indian recipe.
Paneer is made from curdling of boiling milk and is not difficult to achieve it at home. The timing must be precise. I have used lemon juice and fresh Yogurt (Curd) as a curdling agent, yogurt gives a greater yield of Cheese. On the other hand, Lemon juice leaves behind a sour after-taste, therefore requires washing under running water to get away from this taste.
Things You'll Need:
Organic Whole Milk - 2 liter
Fresh Yogurt - 200 ml or
Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp
Fresh Coriander Leaves - 15 grams
Dried Red Chili Bits - 1 tbsp
Cheesecloth or a cotton Kitchen cloth - 1 large
The Process:
Boil Milk in a heavy bottomed-pan.
Keep stirring the Milk at regular intervals as Milk tend to stick and burn to the bottom.
As the Milk is about to boil, add finely chopped Coriander leaves and dried Red Chili bits.
Once boiled lower the flame* and stir in the Yogurt or Lime juice.
In about 2-3 minutes, the curds will coagulate and separate from the watery whey**. Add more Yogurt if necessary, keep on flame for about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
Line a large sieve with muslin or cheesecloth and sit over a large saucepan***.
Once the whey is drained out, wrap it up in the cloth, to form a square as shown in the photograph and place under a heavy object (steel basin full of water in my case).
Leave it in this position for about 2 hours. Rotating the sides once every 30 minutes.
Now your soft and succulent Cheese is ready to use.
YEILD:
About 550 grams Paneer.
STORAGE: Although Best when used fresh you may -
Freeze - Upto 1 month
Chilled in the door cabinet of the fridge - Upto 5 days
NOTES:
* If left on high flame, after adding the curdling agent there is a greater chance that you will end up in a rubbery and hard Paneer.
** Store the watery whey, which can be later used as stock in any preparation.
***If using Lime Juice as a curdling agent, wash under running water to get away from the sour taste.
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