Homemade Paneer Panir 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 PANEER / PANIR (INDIAN CURD CHEESE)

Steps:

• For channa:
• Pour milk into a heavy 4-quart saucepan, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce heat to medium and stir in buttermilk.
• When the curds form a mass (you'll see a clear, pale-yellow whey surrounding the curds), remove pan from heat, let stand, partially covered, for 10 minutes.
• Line a colander with a double layer of dampened cheesecloth.
• Set the colander in the sink or in a bowl if you wish to save the whey (see note).
• Gather together the corners of the cloth, give one or two twists, and tie with a kitchen twine.
• Gently pour the curds and whey into the cheesecloth.
• Hang the cheesecloth bag over the faucet and let the cheese drain for 1 hour, or until it is as thick as yogurt (this is channa).
• If the weather is warm, leave the cheesecloth bag in the colander, set the colander on a plate to catch the drippings, and refrigerate until the cheese has thickened.
• Unwrap the channa and use immediately, or cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. (Note: Save the whey for making your next batch of paneer, use it for cooking lentils or pilafs, or add it to soups.)
• Yields approximately 10 ounces. Nutrition Infomation: PER OUNCE (channa): 75 calories, 5 g protein, 0 g carbohydrate, 6 g fat (4 g saturated), cholesterol and sodium content is not available, 0 g fiber.
• For Paneer cheese:
• Snugly wrap cheesecloth around the channa to form a"cake."
• Place on a cookie sheet, place another cookie sheet on top and add weights (for example, 2 or 3 large cans of tomatoes, 2 or 3 bricks, a large pitcher of water).
• Let the cheese sit for 2 to 4 hours.Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
• Yields 8 ounces (1 cup). Nutrition Infomation: PER OUNCE (paneer): 100 calories, 7 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, 7 g fat (5 g saturated), cholesterol and sodium content is not available, 0 g fiber.

HOMEMADE PANEER (PANIR - INDIAN CHEESE)

Steps:

• Prepare a place for the paneer to drain, placing a colander in the sink and lining it with 4 thicknesses of cheesecloth or a clean linen kitchen towel.
• Ina large (at least 3 quart) saucepan, bring the milk to a boil over high heat, stirring almost constantly to prevent it from burning or boiling over.
• As soon as the milk comes to the boil, add the yogurt and sir gently. The milk will soon foam up into soft clouds and then break into thick curds of cheese floating in a thin, faintly greenish liquid called whey.
• Remove from the heat and pour the contents of the saucepan into the cheesecloth-lined colander placed in the sink to drain away the whey.
• When the cloth is cool enough to handle, bring its corners together and squeeze the cheese into a ball, twisting the top portion of the cloth to force out more liquid and then securing it with a rubber band.
• Suspend the cheese from the faucet and let it hang over the sink for about 30 minutes to drain off any remaining whey.
• Now press the cheese to make it firm enough to cut. To do this, place the wrapped lump of cheese on its side in a pie pan or frying pan, and place another pie pan or frying pan of equal or smaller size on top of it, or cover the cheese with a plate. Balance a weighty object, such as a teapot filled with water, on the pan or plate to compress the cheese. As you can see in the photos, I put the wrapped cheese in a bowl, placed a smaller bowl on top of that and a large, full bottle of wine into that bowl. Press for 30 minutes more.
• Carefully unwrap the pressed cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes, transfer it to a container and seal tight. Refrigerate until needed. The paneer will keep 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator and several months in the freezer.

PANEER

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat the milk to 195°F over medium heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir frequently during the heating process to prevent the milk from scalding. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan when you stir because this is where the milk is most prone to sticking. The milk will become foamy and bubbles will form on its surface once it reaches the desired temperature.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice until evenly distributed, which will cause the separation of curds from the whey. The process should begin right away, but don't fret if it takes a minute or two. Cover the pan and set aside at room temperature for 10 minutes to let the acid work its magic. Check the mixture at this point: It should be slightly yellow and the curds should have completely separated from the whey. Don't panic if this hasn't happened completely yet. Simply add another teaspoon of acid and set aside for a few minutes more. This should do the trick.
• Line a fine-mesh sieve with cheesecloth and set the sieve over a bowl. Ladle the curds and whey into the sieve. Reserve the whey for another use. Season the curds (still in the sieve) with salt, stirring it in using a wooden spoon, then gather up the edges of the cheesecloth into a tight bundle and squeeze the excess whey from the curds. Place the cheesecloth and curds on a large plate and shape them into a square. Wrap the cheesecloth edges around the paneer and place a second plate on top of it to compress it. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes. At this point the paneer is ready to use or it can be refrigerated in a covered container for up to 3 days.

PANEER (HOME MADE)

Steps:

• Combine the milk, yogurt, salt and sugar in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a whisk. As the milk is just about to boil (it will bubble at the edges), stir in the lemon juice.
• Remove from the heat and pour into a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Lift the cheesecloth by the four corners and tie them together. Hang the cheese in the cloth over the sink to drain. It will take 30 minutes to 1 hour. Once drained, place the cheese, still in the cloth, into a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
• If later you want to cut the paneer into firm fingers, use a spoon to press the paneer into the shape of the bowl before refrigerating.

BEST HOMEMADE PANEER

Steps:

• Line a colander with a damp piece of muslin or cheesecloth and set in the sink or over a bowl.
• Pour milk into a large saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat to 200 degrees F (93 degrees C). Stir well and add salt. Pour in lemon juice gradually, 1 tablespoon at a time. Stir until curds separate.
• Ladle curds into the muslin-lined colander. Fold muslin over curds and place a weight on top (such as a bowl filled with water). Press lightly and let drain for 2 to 3 hours.