Easy Recipe for Fresh Paneer!

Paneer

Paneer, also known as Cottage Cheese is a delicious ingredient commonly used in many Asian recipes. It is a good source of high protein while keeping carbohydrates to reasonable levels, particularly useful to those looking for low carbohydrate vegetarian diet.

Fresh Paneer produces a unique taste that blends well into salads, soups, and curries and it is quick and easy to make it at home.

Ingredients:

Regular milk

Lemon juice

Cheesecloth

Strainer

Method:

1. Heat milk in a thick bottom vessel. Bring it to boil while stirring intermittently. Turn the heat off.
2. Add small quantities of lemon juice while stirring thoroughly. As more lemon juice is added, milk solids will separate from the greenish whey. Once all milk solids have been separated, stop adding lemon juice.
3. Place cheesecloth on a strainer large enough to handle the contents of the vessel.
4. Slowly pour the milk solids and whey into the strainer lined with cheesecloth. One can collect whey in a separate container to make delicious bread etc.
5. Once most of the whey drains while the cheesecloth is in the strainer, gently wrap the cheesecloth to cover the top surface of milk solids. Wrap the cheesecloth and put it on to a flat, perforated surface such as shown in the picture. Alternatively, use a wire cooling rack.
6. Put a flat plate or dish on top of the wrapped cheesecloth. Add weight to the plate. A gallon full container of milk or a container full of flour does the trick! Allow it to rest for couple hours.
7. Remove the weight and plate. Open the cheesecloth and remove Paneer. It is fresh and ready!

Tips:

Do not scrape the bottom of the vessel, as it will bring burnt milk solids into the liquid portion.

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