• Homemade Paneer

    From Ben Collver@1:124/5016 to All on Mon Jun 9 09:21:28 2025
    MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

    Title: Paneer (Fresh Indian Cottage Cheese)
    Categories: Cheese, Indian
    Yield: 8 Ounces

    1/2 ga Whole milk
    1/2 c Heavy cream
    1/4 c Distilled white vinegar;
    - up to 1/3 c more

    MMMMM-------------------------EQUIPMENT------------------------------
    Heavy bottomed pot; to boil
    - the milk & cream
    Wooden spoon or plastic
    - spatula; to stir the milk
    - while boiling
    Cheesecloth/muslin; large
    - enough so that it can be
    - tied up
    Soup strainer/colander
    Bowl; to collect the whey
    Rubber bands or string;
    - to tie the cheesecloth

    This recipe can be halved, doubled, or tripled. Please use this
    recipe as a basic guideline to make paneer. The timings mentioned in
    the recipe will differ on stove settings and milk/cream quality.

    Line the strainer with double layer of cheesecloth/muslin. Set it
    over the bowl to catch the whey such that there is gap between the
    bottom of strainer and the bowl. Keep rubber bands or string nearby.
    I recommend setting this up near your sink so that once you have
    strained the curds you can hang the cheesecloth on the tap.

    Add milk to the pot. Let the milk warm up on medium heat for about 5
    to 6 minutes. Once the milk is warm, add the heavy cream to the pot
    and bring the whole mixture to a boil. This will take 12 to 15
    minutes on medium heat, you will need to intermittently stir the
    mixture so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Keep a
    close eye because the milk can boil very quickly.

    Once the milk has boiled, put off the heat. Wait for 3 to 5 minutes.
    Add 1/4 cup of white vinegar to the boiled milk. Immediately you will
    see that the milk starts to coagulate and a greenish liquid
    separating (this is whey). This green liquid will be clear, if it's
    still whitish, you might need to add more vinegar. Add vinegar 1 tb
    at a time until you see clear green liquid.

    Pour the curdled milk over the strainer lined with cheesecloth. The
    whey will collect in the bowl. Tie up the ends of the cheesecloth and
    fasten with the help of rubber band/string. Hang this for maximum 5
    to 7 minutes so that the liquid drains away. Stop as soon as the
    water stops dripping in a continuous string. At this point use you
    hands to squeeze the cheesecloth bundle a little bit. Don't apply too
    much pressure.

    Place the cheesecloth on a plate and keep another plate on top of it
    to flatten down to a block. Next keep a heavy weight on top of it. I
    fill up my 3 qt stainless tea kettle with water and use it to weigh
    down. You could use tomato/bean cans. Keep the curds weighed down for
    at least 30 to 45 minutes at room temperature. Drain the liquid that
    has collected in the plate and unwrap the cheesecloth to take out the
    block.

    Carefully, keep the paneer block in refrigerator for at least 24 hours
    before cutting through. I find that it much better if I wait up to 36
    hours to cut a piece.

    Store paneer refrigerated for 4 to 5 days. It could be frozen for up
    to 2 weeks.

    Tips:

    Be sure not to add the vinegar when the milk is boiling and do not
    heat the milk once you have added it, else the curds will become
    rubbery. See recipe for when to add vinegar.

    Do not let too much water drain from the curdled milk once you have
    tied it up in the cheese cloth else your paneer will be dry and the
    curds will never pull together to form a block.

    It is better to cut paneer when the block is cold. Use a sharp knife.

    I recommend storing the paneer block in little bit of water, like we
    store fresh mozzarella, in the refrigerator. Cut out pieces as you
    need.

    You could skip addition of heavy cream in this recipe but it does
    make a difference in the softness.

    Recipe by sanjuri

    Recipe FROM: <gopher://sdf.org/0/users/sanjuro/indian-food/
    how-to-make-paneer-fresh-indian-cottage-cheese-at-home.txt>

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