HOMEMADE PANEER (COTTAGE CHEESE)

Have I told you all how much I love Paneer? I usually buy Nandini or Amul's paneer blocks and I prefer the Malai Paneer as I feel they're softer. 

I've never made Paneer at home thinking it to be a tedious process and I've always felt that the amount of chenna (cheese curds ) that is collected from a whole packet of milk is too less to be worth my time and effort to make it at home. 

I had tried making rasogullas many years ago and the results were disastrous, the only saving grace was that I could collect very little chenna from the milk and hence folks at home had to gulp just two teensy "rasogullas" under my watchful gaze. (When I try out a new dish, I like to hover around when people are tasting it and when they avoid eye contact with me, I know the dish ought not to be repeated.). 

We had a major power cut the other day and the milk stored in my freezer wasn't looking all that "milky" and fresh. I immediately called my mother who asked me to make paneer out of it. While she rattled out instructions, I looked at the clock, it was 8.50pm and I had to be in front of the television at 9 for Ramayana. 

I also YouTubed a few videos with each video giving different instructions on the quantity of lemon juice to be used and the cooking time. I have winged this recipe but I kept in mind the quantities as I knew it would go on our blog. 

I used 500 ml milk and I got exactly 50gms of Paneer from it. Doesn't it look so pretty ? I couldn't help cradling the Paneer and patting it's flat head.( I also resisted the urge to kiss it.). The next day I squashed it and used it as stuffing for bread rolls. 

The Paneer once set is firm.  It tasted fresh and soft. I plan on using two litres of milk the next time.

HOMEMADE PANEER (COTTAGE CHEESE)

Ingredients:

Milk - 500 ml 

Water - 100 ml 

Lemon juice/vinegar - about 2 tbsps 

Method :

1. Add the lime juice to the water. Stir and set aside. 

2. Bring the milk to a slow boil while constantly stirring it. As the milk bubbles and rises, reduce the flame and gently pour the lemon water in to it while stirring it.

3. You will notice that the milk begins to curdle. While still on the flame, keep stirring the curdled milk until the whey separates completely. (the liquid will no longer appear milky and the whey begins to appear which is a clear liquid). 

4. Turn off the flame once the whey separates. You will see clumps of chenna floating in the whey. 

5. Strain this liquid. I used a muslin cloth. Once you've drained out the whey, pour fresh water on the chenna to wash off any lemony residue on it. 

6. Squeeze the muslin cloth well and drain the excess liquid. 

7. You have the chenna ready which may be used in various dishes like Shrikhand. 

8. Now to give it the texture of Paneer, neatly fold the muslin cloth with the chenna still in it, flatten it and give it a shape you like. You need to now place a heavy weight on the chenna and also ensure that all extra liquid oozes out of it. 

9. Place the folded muslin cloth (with chenna in it ) on a colander and place a heavy weight on the muslin cloth. Leave it for an hour or two. 

10. Gently remove the cloth and you'll have firm Paneer ready. 

11. Done. 

Recipe notes : 

• You may use milk that's already been boiled once and stored in the fridge but you need to boil it once again as indicated in the second step. 
• I used lime juice. I've seen videos where people have directly added the lime juice / vinegar to the milk. I'm presuming adding it diluted in water may reduce the lemony taste in the paneer.
• I've used Nandini packet milk (toned milk that comes in the blue packet with 3.0% fat). You may try the milk that comes in tetrapack and let us know if that works as well. I've heard it works just as well.
• The trick is to keep stirring the curdled milk on low flame until the whey completely separates. And that is how you collect more chenna. Be patient, it will not take more than a minute for the whey to separate.