Home made Paneer

Paneer, also known as Cottage Cheese is a favorite ingredient in Indian cooking, and there's nothing like fresh homemade paneer .I like Paneer very much.For so many days I was carving for paneer but we don't get Paneer here in Paris. So Finally I decided to make Paneer at home only. Making paneer at home is not such a big deal , its simple and does not require a lot of care or expertise. It's so damn easy.Homemade paneer guarantees that you are eating something fresh.

Ingredients (For 150 gms of paneer):-

1 liter whole milk (full fat milk)
1/2 lemon or lime - juiced, or 1-3 tsp vinegar
muslin cloth (or anything that's a bit thin)


Method:-

1) Bring the milk to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning or sticking.

2) When it comes to a boil, stir in the acid and cook for another 2-3 minutes; in a few minutes, you see small curds floating on top. Wait till they get bigger to form small stone-like granules, about five minutes. The solids will clump together and the remaining liquid will become a thin watery white (known as whey).

3) Now turn off heat and allow to sit for a few minutes to cool.



4) Strain through the muslin cloth. When the liquid is mostly drained out, lift the cloth by four corners and twist to squeeze out remaining liquid. You can put the cloth with the paneer in it to sit on a colander over the sink for an hour or so till all excess water drips away. What you get at this stage is cottage cheese. If you let it sit for an additional 12 to 24 hrs at room temperature to develop acidity, and then cook it further you will be able to make ricotta cheese.

5) To make paneer, press the cloth-covered cheese under anything heavy enough weight for up to two hours. Fold the cloth around the cheese, then pressed it , and put it between two heavy wooden cutting boards. Put something heavier on top of the cutting board to increase the weight. Leave it like this for a couple of hours.

6) This makes the paneer firm and hard. Now you can store it in an airtight box and refrigerate till ready to use. You can even cut it into cubes and store them.

Tips:- If you are using 1 Gallon of milk, use juice from one whole lemon.