How to make Homemade Paneer
Store-bought is great, but homemade paneer takes the cake and is the “pièce de résistance” when it comes to traditional Indian cuisine. Paneer is super easy and so rewarding to make.
Paneer is a type of fresh cheese, meaning you can make it and eat it right away — no ageing or culturing required. It’s also one of the easiest cheeses to make at home. All you need is milk and lemon juice or vinegar. When you mix the milk and lemon juice, the acidity in the lemon juice will cause the milk to separate into curds and whey. Remove the whey and press the curds, and then you have a simple cheese. We’ve made 2 variations of these today – plain and herbed – both of which are absolutely delicious. Feel free to experiment with different flavours.
MAKES 1 / HANDS ON TIME 20 min / TOTAL TIME 1 hours 20min
Homemade Paneer :
INGREDIENTS
- 7 cups full cream milk
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley ( optional)
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander ( optional)
METHOD
ADD the milk to a pot over medium heat. Bring to the boil. Turn off heat and mix the lemon juice through thoroughly. Allow to curdle for 10 minutes.
LAY a piece of muslin cloth in a colander over the sink. Pour in the milk. Rinse the milk solids (what is left in the colander) well with cold water.
CLOSE the cloth around the cheese and twist to make a tight ball. Squeeze out any liquid.
FLATTEN the cheese slightly and weigh down with a plate or bowl. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Tip from the team: You can defiantly use vinegar instead of lemon juice. Fresh lemon juice would work best compared to bottled lemon juice.
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SEE ALSO: Homemade ricotta
Feature image: Pexels
A food stylist and recipe developer, contributing to Food & Home and other esteemed magazines under Habari Media. I love for creating mouthwatering recipes, I bring culinary visions to life through my work.