Homemade Paneer

Ingredients

• Milk - 1/2 gallon or 2 liters
• Vinegar or lemon juice - 3 tbspn

health tip

Milk is rich in Calcium, Protein, Vitamin B2, B12, A, D & K. It is better to consider buying organic milk because of the presence of hormones in regular milk & high Omega 3 content in organic milk.

Homemade Paneer

method

Paneer is a mild flavored Indian cheese. Excess milk which is about to expire can be made into paneer & stored in freezer for future use. Because of the added flexibility in choosing hormone free milk & the fat content in milk, I usually make paneer at home. Ricotta cheese can be substituted for paneer but it will tasted different from paneer. It is easy to make paneer at home. Paneer is made by curdling milk by making it acidic by adding vinegar, lemon juice or yogurt. Adding yogurt may yield more quantity of paneer than using lemon juice or vinegar. Use 1 cup of yogurt per 1/2 gallon of milk when using yogurt. Reminder of the recipe is the same irrespective of the method you use to curdle the milk.

1. Bring the milk to boil in a heavy bottomed pan.
2. When the milk begins to boil, add the desired acidic product & stir constantly. Milk solid will start to separate & curdle at the top leaving thin liquid called Whey at the bottom.
3. Line a colander or strainer with a cheese cloth or a white cotton towel & place it in another vessel to collect the whey water.
4. Turn of the heat & pour the contents into the lined strainer. Gather the ends of the towel together & squeeze the excess water out.
   
5. Flip the colander upside down & place the paneer wrapped in towel over the flipped colander.Press it down with a heavy weighing item to let the excess water drain & to make the paneer harder. Leave it in an undisturbed place for 3-4 hours with the weights on.
6. After 3 or 4 hours take the weight off & unwrap the towel. A block of homemade paneer is ready to use. Cut the block into cubes & use it fresh or store it in a freezer for later use.