Fresh Indian Cheese Recipes

HOMEMADE PANEER (FRESH INDIAN COTTAGE CHEESE)

Steps:

• Heat the milk in a large saucepan over medium high heat until the top becomes foamy, just as looks like it's about to boil.
• Turn stove off. Add lemon juice and stir for 1 minute. The milk should begin to curdle. If it doesn't, turn the stove back on and bring back to a gentle boil until the solids separate.
• Line strainer or colander: Place over a deep bowl. Line strainer with 2 layers of cheesecloth (Note 1).
• Strain: Ladle in half of the curdled milk to begin with, then pour the rest in. Leave until all the liquid drains - this might take 5 to 10 minutes.
• Rinse: Discard liquid (whey) in the bowl. Bundle the paneer up in the cheesecloth (it will still be quite watery at this stage) then rinse bundle briefly under cold tap water. This helps to remove lemon flavour + cool for easier handling.
• Squeeze out excess water by twisting the cheesecloth and squeezing the bundle, but not so hard that paneer squeezes out through the cloth. Once liquid no longer comes out, stop. The paneer will still be quite soft at this stage.
• Weigh cheese down with weights: Shape cheese into a disc around 2cm / ¾" thick, still wrapped in cheesecloth. Place in a strainer or colander set over a bowl. Top with a small plate then 2 x 400g/14oz cans (or similar weight).
• Refrigerate for 4 hours. During this time the paneer will set (become firm) and remaining liquid will drain out. (Note 2)
• Remove paneer from fridge and carefully unwrap. There will be a dent in the middle, this is normal (it's from the draining).
• At this stage, the paneer is now ready for use. You can either cut it immediately and use in a recipe (such as Palak Paneer!), or store the whole uncut block for another time and just cut when needed.
• Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for 3 months.

PANEER: HOMEMADE INDIAN CHEESE

Steps:

• Line a large colander with a large double layer of cheesecloth, and set it in your sink.
• In a large wide pot, bring the milk to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to avoid burning the bottom (a nonstick pot works really well for this purpose). This will take a little while so be patient!
• Add the lemon juice and turn the heat down to low. Stirring gently, you should almost immediately see the curds (white milk solids) and whey (the greenish liquid) separate. Don't fret, this is perfect!
• Remove the pot from the heat and carefully pour the contents into the cheesecloth-lined colander. Gently rinse with cool water to get rid of the lemon flavor. At this point, you could squeeze out some of the liquid, and serve with some honey and some nuts, almost like a fresh ricotta!
• Grab the ends of the cheesecloth and twist the ball of cheese to squeeze out the excess whey. Tie the cheesecloth to your kitchen faucet and allow the cheese to drain for about 5 minutes.
• Twisting the ball to compact the cheese into a block, place it on a plate with the twisted part of the cheesecloth on the side (this will ensure your block of cheese is nice and smooth!) and set another plate on top. Weigh the second plate down with cans of beans or a heavy pot. Move to the refrigerator and let it sit about 20 minutes.
• Unwrap your beautiful disc of homemade cheese! You did it! You can now use this in any number of traditional Indian dishes, like saag paneer.

HOMEMADE FRESH CHEESE

Steps:

• Pour the milk into a large pot, and heat until the temperature reaches 195 degrees F (90 degrees C), or almost boiling. Stir constantly to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pot. When the milk reaches the temperature, remove from the heat, and stir in the vinegar. Let stand for 10 minutes.
• Line a strainer with cheesecloth, and set over the sink or a large pot or bowl. The milk should separate into a white solid part, and a yellowish liquid (whey). Stir the salt into the milk, then pour through the cloth-lined strainer. Let the curds continue to drain in the strainer for 1 hour. Discard the whey.
• After the cheese has finished draining, pat into a ball, and remove from the cheese cloth. Wrap in plastic and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Fresh cheese will usually last about a week.

FRESH INDIAN CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring milk to a full boil in a 6-quart heavy pot, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and slowly stir in lemon juice. Cook until milk begins to separate, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat and let milk stand 10 minutes.
• Pour mixture into a colander lined with a triple layer of cheesecloth. Rinse cheese curds under gently running lukewarm water. Gather up edges of cheesecloth, twisting gently to squeeze out as much water as possible, and transfer cheese in cheesecloth to a bowl, flattening into a disk. Weight cheese with a bowl filled with water or a large can. Let paneer stand at room temperature 1 hour, or until firm, and pour off any liquid that has accumulated in bowl.

PANEER (FRESH CHEESE)

Steps:

• To make about a pound of paneer, heat 1 gallon of milk in a large pot that allows enough space for milk to boil.
• When milk is about to boil, immediately add 4 to 5 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of vinegar (can substitute cream of tartar for lemon juice and vinegar).
• You may optionally add 1 cup of plain yogurt too.
• Be careful that milk does not boil over; lower heat if needed.
• Simmer until the milk curdles (cheese separates from clear liquid (whey)).
• Use more lemon juice or vinegar as needed.
• Turn off the heat.
• Strain the cheese in a large sieve set over a bowl and lined with a thin muslin cloth or cheesecloth.
• Mash the cheese to make it smooth.
• Let it drain.
• Note: Instead of discarding the whey, you may use it as a substitute for water in soups or dough.
• Drain it as much as possible (couple of hours) till no liquid can be squeezed out.
• Blend the cheese with hand or in a food processor to make it smooth.
• Spread it evenly, about half inch thick on a cloth on flat board lined with paper towels.
• Fold the cloth over on four sides and cover the top.
• Put more paper towels on top.
• Put a large flat-bottomed skillet filled with water on top to put pressure to drain excess liquid.
• Change paper towels if they get wet.
• After 30 to 45 minutes, when paper towels appear dry, unwrap the cheese.
• Cut paneer; into ½ to ¾" cubes (or strips) and use without frying or fry as follows.
• To fry, heat about 4 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan on medium heat.
• Lightly brown the cubes on all sides while turning with a slotted spatula.