Paneer is a soft cheese widely used in Indian cooking, as many Indians are vegetarian, paneer is used in place of meat in many dishes, it can be used in curries, as a kebab along with vegetables, fried in a batter (pakora) or simply eaten in salads.
Paneer is made like other cheeses, from milk. Here in India they mainly use buffalo milk to make the cheese but I have been assured that cows milk will work just as well.
The milk is first heated, separated and then drained. Weights are applied to help the cheese drain and set.
I have never tried to make any sort of cheese before and have never even seen anyone making paneer, but it sounds pretty straight forward and i think it is well worth trying. Paneer can be bought back in the UK but I think it is rather expensive, why not try to make a small amount first to see how it goes.
Ingredients and equipment to make a small amount of Paneer
2 - litre Milk
1 - sm Lemon, juiced.
10kg - Weight
1m sq - Muslin cloth for draining.
20cm - String to tie cotton
1 - sm Lemon, juiced.
10kg - Weight
1m sq - Muslin cloth for draining.
20cm - String to tie cotton
Method
Firstly pour the milk into a pan/wok and heat until it starts to bubble, remove from heat and add lemon juice. This should make the milk separate. Once separated remove as much water as possible and collect the remaining liquid in the muslin, gather the ends together to form a ball and hang to drain off the excess liquid. After a few Min's tighten the muslin ball and tie using the string. Place the ball on a hard surface and apply the weight, this will help to remove any excess water and allow the cheese to set. After about 30 Min's the cheese should be ready to use. Paneer can be frozen or kept in the fridge for up to 8 days.
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