HOW TO MAKE PANEER

     Paneer is called as cottage cheese. It is an Indian cheese made by coagulating the milk with acidic food acid. It is not a fermented or cured product like other cheeses. The paneer or the cottage cheese can be used for making a variety of dishes, curries, desserts and sweets. Want to know How to make Paneer/Chenna at home?  Follow these simple steps and you have fresh Home-made Paneers within no time.  All the more you just need only TWO INGREDIENTS to make Paneer.  Full Cream Milk and an Acidic base to curdle the milk.
     I have been making Paneer at home since I have come down to Malaysia. I hardly buy Paneer from outside, it's not because I don't like it, its because I don't get it. Initially, I use to buy it from Little India in Singapore. At home, everybody likes dishes prepared with Paneer and the long list of versatility it caters have made this a star ingredient & a must have in my kitchen.
     Curries/Gravies like Paneer Butter Masala, Paneer Tikka Masala, Paneer Matar, Palak Paneer, Saag Paneer, Malai Kofta Curry or prepare Starters like Paneer Tikkas, Chilli Paneer, Paneer Manchurian, Deep-fried Koftas makes a perfect combination for both Rice & Roti. Shred and Season Paneers for a perfect stuffings for Parathas, Spring Rolls, Sandwich or even for a new style of Paneer Masala Dosa. A long list of Desserts and Sweets like Rasmalai, Gulab Jamun, Rasagulla, Sandesh, Chum Chum, Jalebi, Laddoo, Paneer Kheer, Kulfi etc., all make Paneer a queen in the kitchen.
     It has a uniqueness to add richness and taste to the dish it is added into. All these have made PANEER/CHENNA a must have in my pantry.  A little bit of time and patience is what we need to make this.  And all the more, homemade paneers are more hygienic, unprocessed and cheap too.

HOW TO MAKE PANEER

For more recipes with PANEER/CHENNA, Click here...

HOW TO MAKE PANEER

INGREDIENTS :

• Boil the Milk.
• When it starts to boil, add the Lemon Juice/Vinegar/Curd/Yogurt.
• Within few minutes the Milk starts to curdle.
• When the Milk fully curdles, switch off the flame.
• Add few ice cubes to the above.  This will stop anymore curdling which can make the Paneer Chewy.
• Strain the curdled Milk immediately into a thin cotton napkin/clean muslin cloth.
• Drain the Whey water.
• Collect the napkin together and tie it tightly with the coagulated Milk shreds inside.
• Hang it above a bowl until all the remaining whey water is totally drained. (For about 2-3 hours)
• Then place the tied napkin on a plate or a cutting board and keep a heavy object on top it.
• Press it well to make it flat and also it removes any remaining whey water from it.
• Leave it aside for 2-3 hours.
• The Paneer/Chenna would be set.
• Remove the Paneer from the cloth napkin and cut it into cubes or into any desired shape.
• Can refrigerate the home-made Paneer - if so keep it in an airtight container or immerse the Paneer block in a bowl of water.

NOTES :

• Good quality milk and full cream milk yields excellent Paneers/Chenna.
• Can use any one of the three coagulating agents: lemon juice, curd or vinegar
• If you don’t prefer a bit of acidic smell from lemon or vinegar in paneer, add curd to coagulate it.
• Once the lemon juice or vinegar is added the milk will start to curdle.
• When the milk completely curdles the whitish or greenish whey water separates from it.
• Immediately switch off the flame,
• Add few ice cubes to the above.  This will stop anymore curdling which can make the Paneer Chewy.
• Do not boil once it is totally coagulated.
• Remove from fire immediately and strain the curdled milk.
• Overcooking will yield a hard & chewy Paneer once set.
• One way to keep the Paneer soft in the fridge is to soak the paneer block in water in a bowl.
• Once refrigerated Paneer will last up to a week and can be frozen too.
• If doing so do not cut the Paneer into cubes.  Can do it before cooking the Paneer.
• Can also soak the Paneer in warm water after you have removed it from the fridge before cooking.
• Can use any kind of thin, clean & absorbent cloth to strain the Paneer.
• Do not throw away the Whey Water.  It can be used in a lot of ways and has got many medicinal uses too... 

To read more about THE USES & BENEFITS OF WHEY WATER, Click here...