How To Make Paneer (Fail proof recipe)

Paneer is a fresh cheese that is very common in Indian cuisine. Homemade paneer tends to have a softer, more crumbly texture. In comparison, the store-bought version is much more dense and firm.

An easy and simple procedure to prepare a malai and masala paneer using a basic ingredient – milk. the procedure does not include any preservatives and is made with fresh full cream milk to yield rich, creamy, and soft paneer with the desired consistency.

Paneer does not require any fermenting or curing. And unlike many other kinds of cheese in the world, the making of paneer does not involve Rennet, and it is therefore completely vegetarian-friendly.

food acids to curdle milk

• Lemon juice or lime juice:  For a litre of milk you could add about 2 to 4 teaspoons of lemon juice depending on the quality of milk.
• Vinegar: Add about 2 to 3 teaspoons of white vinegar or apple cider vinegar to 1 litre of milk. With vinegar, the milk curdles faster and quicker.
• Curd or yogurt: You could add about 3 to 4 tablespoons of fresh curd or yogurt when making the paneer recipe with 1 litre of milk.
• Buttermilk: Try adding 4 to 5 tablespoons of buttermilk to a litre of milk.
• Citric acid: I do not use citric acid as it creates too firm of a cheese. But you can use it.

INGREDIENTS for homemade paneer

• 1-liter whole milk
• 1-1.5 tablespoons white vinegar or lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS for homemade paneer

Boiling the Milk

1. You want to start with whole milk because the texture of the cheese is creamier.
2. First, rinse a large, heavy-duty pot with water and ensure that it is completely clean.
3. Add milk to a heavy bottom pan on medium heat.
4. Begin to heat the milk on a medium-low flame.
5. Stir often so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
6. Let the milk come to a boil until it starts foaming and rising.
7.  Turn off the heat right when the milk boils.

Adding Food Acid

Add the one food acid of your choice:

• Lemon juice – 2 to 4 teaspoons
• Vinegar – 2 to 3 teaspoons
• Buttermilk – 4 to 5 tablespoons
• Curd – at least 3 to 4 tablespoons

More fat in the milk will require more food acid to make this paneer recipe. For making this I am using vinegar. I suggest you to use vinegar or lemon juice

1. Once the milk has come to a boil, turn off the heat and start adding vinegar (or lemon juice), a little at a time.
2. The milk will begin to curdle immediately.
3. The liquid will turn into a yellow/light-green color, especially if you use vinegar, but that’s completely normal.
4.  The milk must curdle completely before you can make paneer.
5. Continue to stir the milk to help keep it from sticking to the pot.

Making Homemade Paneer

1. Now drain off the curdled milk over cheesecloth.
2. Lift the bundle and allow to drain until no longer dripping.
3. With the ends tightly gathered, run clean, fresh water all over the cloth to rinse.
4. This really helps to cool the cheese and it helps wash away the lemon juice or vinegar
5. Tightly secure the ends of the cloth to keep the chenna wrapped, then place the bundle back in the strainer on a plate or over a clean bowl.
6. Press the cheese to release more liquid.
7. Then place a heavy object on top for it to set. I placed a plate and then placed mortar & pestle on top. Leave it undisturbed for 1 to 2 hours.
8. You can either hang the bundle (on your kitchen basin faucet) or press to form the cheese.
9. Remove the weight and open the cloth.
10. Cut into cubes. Use paneer in any of your favorite recipes.

Tips and Variations

• For the tastiest paneer I recommend using full fat whole milk.
• I prefer using vinegar to curdle the milk as I feel it results in a more solid block of paneer.
• You can use any one of the four ingredients that coagulate the milk as mentioned above, but remember: each of these will add a hint of flavor to the paneer.
• There is no need to remove any cream that you might see floating in the milk as it cooks.
• For creamier paneer, add 1/4 cup heavy cream to the milk while boiling it.
• Overcooking will yield an unpleasantly hard, crumbly cheese.
• If the paneer does become hard you can soak the block in warm water for a minute or two on the countertop.

Storing Paneer

Use the paneer right away to cook, or you can refrigerate it for later. To refrigerate, keep stored in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.

Using Paneer

The collected whey can be added to roti, rice or vegetable dishes. Keep reading for some great ideas of what to do with the whey!

Try your fresh homemade paneer to make your favorite Indian curries. You could also make Paneer Bhurji, Paneer pasanda, Paneer Roll, Paneer labadar, Paneer Paratha, Khoya paneer, Matar Paneer, Paneer Manchurian, or any number of delicious recipes.

Nutrition

Calories	605kcal
Fat	32g
Sodium	420mg
Protein	7g
Calcium	240mg

Also read: Vegetable Chow mein Recipe (Easy Step by step)

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