Making paneer at home may appear to be a cumbersome task but if you read the step by step directions below, you will realize it is probably one of the easiest tasks in the kitchen. The main idea is to boil the milk completely and then curdle it using an acidic ingredient. The only special requirement is the cheesecloth which is available at most of the grocery stores. This recipe will yield around 8 oz paneer.
Cooking Time : 10 minutes
Draining time: 1 hour
Setting Time: 2 hours
You will need
- 1/2 gallon whole milk
- 3 tablespoons vinegar/ lemon juice
- Cheesecloth ( 14 inches / 14 inches)
- A Colander
Directions
- Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy saucepan.
- Turn off the heat once the milk has boiled.
- Add the lemon juice or vinegar. Stir it until the milk has completely curdled.
- You will see a mass of curdled milk floating on the surface. If not, add some more vinegar / lemon juice.
- Transfer to a colander lined with cheesecloth.
- Run it under cold water for couple of minutes to remove the acidic flavor & tie the ends of cheesecloth & hang the paneer wrapped within cheesecloth for 30 minutes to drain as much whey as possible. More whey you have , the more it will crumble easily, which is not what we want if using paneer for curries or stir fries.
- Put a heavyweight on the crumbled paneer in the cheesecloth for 30 minutes. I use an unopened milk gallon as heavyweight.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours to further solidify the paneer.
Storage
Fresh paneer will stay good for couple of days in refrigerator. After that, it will start losing its flavor. Store it in an air tight container.
Soaking it in water also enhances its shelf life.
You can also freeze it for upto a month.
Tips to make a good block of paneer
- Always use full fat milk for a creamier and firm paneer.
- Once the milk boils, turn the heat off and add the acid right away.
- Once the milk coagulates and whey separates ( whitish -greenish clear liquid ), immediately filter using a cheesecloth.
- Rinse the filtered and crumbled paneer under running tap water before hanging it for 30 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
You can use paneer to make curries, salads, sandwiches, desserts or simply eat it raw !
This looks awesome..<br /><br />Aarthi<br />http://www.yummytummyaarthi.com/
Sounds really easy. I will definitely try this. I tend to always buy the ready made one.
very informative post
Sounds good and easy to me. Will try this. Diane