Paneer

Ingredients

Cheese

• 2 litreswhole milk
• 3to 4 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar, in a little water
• a pinch of salt, optional

To serve

• cubed into curries, or
• sliced and grilled with spice

Directions

1. Bring the milk to a full boil in a heavy pan, stirring so it does not catch, then take it off the heat and let it stand for one minute. Adding acid to milk at a rolling boil gives hard, rubbery curd.
2. Stir in the acid a tablespoon at a time, stirring gently after each. Stop the moment the milk separates cleanly into white curds and pale greenish whey — usually within a minute.
3. Use only as much acid as it takes to separate. Excess acid toughens the curd, and paneer that squeaks unpleasantly is almost always over-acidified.
4. Let it stand five minutes, then pour into a colander lined with muslin and rinse briefly under cold running water. The rinse washes off the lemon or vinegar so the finished cheese tastes of milk rather than of acid.
5. Gather the cloth and squeeze out most of the whey, then twist the top and shape the curd into a flat block.
6. Press under a weight — a pan with a few tins in it, about 2 kg — for an hour. Longer gives a firmer paneer that holds up in a curry; shorter gives a softer one for crumbling.
7. Chill for at least an hour before cutting. Warm paneer crumbles under a knife; cold paneer cubes cleanly.
8. Use within three days. Keep it submerged in water in the fridge, changing the water daily, which stops the surface drying and cracking.

Technique

• Off the boil, minimum acid, quick rinse. Those three things separate good paneer from squeaky paneer.
• Keep the whey. It is excellent in dough, in dal, or for cooking rice.
• It does not melt, which is the whole point of it — that is why it can be cubed into a simmering curry or grilled on a skewer.

Substitutions

• Yoghurt whey or citric acid in place of lemon juice, both of which give a very clean flavour.
• Full-fat milk only. Semi-skimmed gives a poor yield and a dry, crumbly block.

Variations

• Pressed harder and longer for a firm paneer that can be grated.
• Chhena is the same curd left unpressed and kneaded, which is the base of rasgulla and most Bengali sweets.

History

Acid-set fresh cheese of the north; several food historians credit Portuguese settlers in Bengal with spreading acid curdling, which enabled chhena sweets.

Frequently asked questions

What is Paneer?

Paneer is a cheese & dairy from India: fresh unaged cheese set by curdling milk with acid, cubed into curries or grilled. Acid-set fresh cheese of the north; several food historians credit Portuguese settlers in Bengal with spreading acid curdling, which enabled chhena sweets.

How long does Paneer take to make?

Paneer takes 20 min plus 1 hour pressing of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 350 g from 2 litres. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Paneer?

Yes, within limits. Yoghurt whey or citric acid in place of lemon juice, both of which give a very clean flavour. Full-fat milk only. Semi-skimmed gives a poor yield and a dry, crumbly block.

What is the most important thing to get right in Paneer?

Let it stand five minutes, then pour into a colander lined with muslin and rinse briefly under cold running water. The rinse washes off the lemon or vinegar so the finished cheese tastes of milk rather than of acid.