Homemade Paneer

- Serves 6 (yields about 350g)

Paneer or farmer’s cheese (also known as Indian cottage cheese) is a common, non-melting fresh cheese usually made at home with leftover full-cream milk. A very popular vegetarian protein substitute in India, paneer curries and appetizers are loved by vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. Unlike other cheese, it doesn’t require the use of rennet and is made simply by separating hot milk using an acid like vinegar, lemon juice or yogurt. My recipe below is easy to make and requires no special equipment, and once you have mastered the technique of homemade paneer, you will never go back to buying its store bought version. Check out our short paneer making video on Instagram.

Image by Abhishek Mahajan from Pixels

Ingredients for Homemade Paneer

2 liters of fresh full cream milk
3-4 tablespoons white vinegar OR 1/4 cup lemon juice
large cheese cloth or handkerchief

Recipe

Heat milk in a large saucepan until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low flame.
Add vinegar or lemon juice gradually one tablespoon at a time and stir the milk gently. The curd will start separating from the whey. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Take it off the flame and let it cool for 2-3 minutes, before handling the hot liquid.
Next, carefully drain the whey through a sieve lined with a large cheese cloth or handkerchief. Leave the strainer and the cloth in a bowl full of ice cold water for a few minutes to cool it down quickly - this will result in softer texture.
Now, pull the corners of the cloth together to form a ball of paneer. Drain excess water by squeezing the ball. Place the ball on a flat surface, open it up and fold the cloth neatly over the cheese to form a square shape.
To set paneer, place the ball of paneer under a flat heavy object for about an hour to set completely before cutting. Cut it into cubes before using.

Note : Paneer can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze paneer, cut into cubes and store in a ziploc bag.

Tips: The best paneer is always fresh and always homemade. Don’t believe me :) - try it for yourself with these brilliant little tips,

Use the freshest full cream milk you can find. Raw milk is even better.
Have everything ready and work with it quickly. Once curdled, let it cool for just a few minutes before straining. Don’t let it sit in hot water for too long - it will get chewy.
Cool off the solids immediately with ice-cold water. Not cooling it quickly enough will result in chewy texture.
Rest it just enough under a heavy object to bring it together - the lesser the quantity of milk, the faster it will set. Its texture should be slightly softer than firm tofu and not too firm.