KITCHEN - paneer - Indian cheese

One of the most delicate and versatile cheeses imaginable. It is used in many Indian dishes as an important protein source. I made this to be added to a super yummy saag paneer dish (shown above and more on that later). This is a very simple recipe - give it a try!

Start by pouring 8 cups of milk (I used whole) into a sauce pan.

Bring to a boil.

Add one of the following coagulants: 3 T freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 c sour plain yogurt, or 3 T cider vinegar diluted with 3 T water.

As soon as the milk curdles, remove from heat.

Pour the cheese and liquid through a colander lined with thin fabric or 4 layers of cheese cloth and place it in the sink.

Run fresh cold water through the cheese to wash away the excess odor of the coagulant.

Take all 4 ends of the cloth and gently twist to extract as much water as possible.

Hang cheese in the sink for 30 minutes. 

Congratulations - you have now made chenna! Now, you've got to remove more water to solidify the cheese for cooking. Twist up the cheese again and weight it down with something heavy (I used a large stock pot filled with water) for an hour.

Now you've made paneer!

Now cut it into 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch by 1-inch pieces and enjoy!

I dusted the paneer in flour and lightly browned it to be added to the saag paneer (I post the recipe for that later).

Ready to added to the spinach.