Paneer

The drained curds are soaked in chilled water for hours before they go under a weight.

Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains dairy (whole milk), dairy (yoghurt).

Ingredients

• 2 litres whole milk
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice, or 4 tablespoons vinegar, or 200 g yoghurt
• a bowl of chilled water, for soaking

Method

1. THE DRAINED CURDS ARE SOAKED IN CHILLED WATER FOR HOURS BEFORE THEY GO UNDER A WEIGHT. Its article gives the step and almost nobody repeats it: the curds are drained in muslin and the excess water pressed out, and then the paneer is DIPPED IN CHILLED WATER FOR TWO TO THREE HOURS to improve its texture and appearance. Only after that is it wrapped in cloth, put under a heavy weight such as a stone slab for two to three hours, and cut into cubes. The cold soak firms the curd and stops it tasting of the acid, and it is the one thing separating this from the chhena page here, which is the same cheese left soft.
2. THE ACID GOES INTO HOT MILK, AND ITS ARTICLE ALLOWS FOUR. Lemon juice, vinegar, citric acid or dahi, added to hot milk to separate the curds from the whey. Yoghurt gives the mildest result and vinegar the sharpest.
3. IT IS ADDED A SPOONFUL AT A TIME, WITH ONE STIR EACH. Until the whey runs clear and greenish. Dumped in all at once the curd goes tough and rubbery.
4. THE PAN COMES OFF THE HEAT AS SOON AS IT SPLITS. Held at a boil afterwards the curd tightens and squeaks.
5. IT IS DRAINED IN MUSLIN, NOT A SIEVE. Its article says muslin or cheesecloth. A sieve lets the fine curd through and you lose a fifth of the yield.
6. THE EXCESS WATER IS PRESSED OUT BY HAND FIRST. Gather the cloth and squeeze gently. This is the pressing its article means at this stage -- the weight comes later.
7. THEN THE COLD SOAK, STILL IN ITS CLOTH. Two to three hours in chilled water. Change the water once if the room is warm.
8. THE WEIGHT DECIDES WHAT YOU GET, AND ITS ARTICLE GIVES BOTH ENDS. Two to three hours under a stone slab makes a block firm enough to cube for a curry; about TWENTY MINUTES gives a softer, fluffier cheese. Pick by what it is for.
9. IT IS CUT COLD AND USED WITHIN TWO DAYS. Cut warm it crumbles. Kept in water in the fridge, with the water changed daily.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under India · All recipes