Paneer

Hi Folks,

Ever go to an Indian restaurant and have paneer? You know, that cheese they put in a tomato gravy or spinach? Ever wonder how they make it?

Paneer is cheese, and it's one of the easiest cheeses to make.

Here is a recipe to get you started.

Ingredients and Supplies:

1. One gallon of organic whole fat milk. Yes my friend. We are making cheese. Cheese is made with milk fat. If you can't handle the idea of whole milk, just stop now.

2. Organic lemon juice. We will use this to separate the curd (fat) from the whey. We're interested in the curd, but you can use the whey for other purposes.

3. Cheese cloth. You'll use this to strain the curd. It's a messy job, but someone's gotta do it (more on that note later)!

4. A large colander. You'll place the cheese cloth in the colaner to help you strain.

5. A large stock pot to boil the milk in. I prefer a non-stick pot (ensure you use one that is safe - look here).

6. A spoon to stir.

7. 2 large flat plates.

8. A pair of sciccors.

Let's get started! Here are the directions.

1. Think happpy and positive thoughts. This first step is the most important. Don't pass it by quickly. Your mood has a direct impact on the food you prepare and how it makes the people who eat it feel.

2. Acquire the milk - milk the cow, go to the grocery store - whatever. Just get the milk! Got milk? Okay, good!

3. Ensure you have ALL of the other aforementioned supplies close at hand.

4. Warm the milk on the stove on medium-high heat. Stir often so that the milk does not burn or stick to the bottom. Once the milk starts sticking to the bottom, turn the stove to medium. This is what I do with my gas stove. You may have to make adjustments for an electric cooking range. Adjustment number 1: shop for a gas cooking range.

5. As the milk starts to come to a boil, stir slowly and watch to ensure that the milk does not flow out. Turn the stove to low heat.

6. Slowly add the lemon juice and continue stirring. You want to add as little as possible - just enough to seperate the curd from the whey; otherwise, the paneer will be excessively firm. As you add the lemon juice, stir for about 10-15 seconds to see if the milk starts separating before adding more lemon juice.

7. Once the milk separates, turn the stove off and prepare the cheese cloth in the colander. You'll want 4 layers to the cheese cloth to ensure that the cloth is strong enough to hold the paneer.

8. Place the colander with the cheese cloth spread inside of it in a clean sink. We are going to drain out the whey (the liquid) and keep the curd (the paneer) in the cheese cloth. If you wish to preserve some or all of the whey, place a pot underneath the colander to catch the whey. Whey is fantastic - it's full of protein and you can use it in cooking and baking. You could even drink it (if you're going to do this, we strongly suggest you let it cool first!).

9. Slowly pour the contents of your pot into the colander. If you have placed a pot underneath, watch to see when it is full and pull it out accordingly.

10. Once you have drained the whey away and have the curd remaining, take the 4 corners of the cheese cloth and tie them together above so that you can hang your paneer to let the remaining whey drain away.

11. Find a place to hang the paneer for draining. A kitchen sink faucet works well for this provided you don't plan to use the faucet for the next 20 minutes. Turning the water on in the paneer would not be a good idea.

12. Once the paneer is drained, remove it from the faucet (or wherever you left it hanging) and place it on a large flat plate. Cut the knot you tied but do not remove the cheese cloth. Pull the cheese cloth shut where the knot was cut off.

Follow steps 13 through 17 below if you want to make paneer pieces. Skip steps 13 through 18 below if you want to make a paneer scramble.

13. Now carefully place the other large flat plate (with the flat side facing down) on top of the paneer.

14. Apply pressure on the plate (but don't break them) in order to drain out the excess whey. We want to drain the whey, but we don't want to make the paneer too dry. You should still be able to remove more of the whey when you stop pressing.

15. Take the pot that you used to boil the milk and fill it with water. It's okay if you haven't washed it yet. Place the pot on top of the plate. The idea is to provide a consistent amount of force (thank you gravity) on the plate to help drain the excess whey. Leave the pot there for about 15 minutes and then remove it. Don't forget to wash the pot.

16. Let the paneer set for at least an hour if you are going to cube it. You can cover it and place it in the refrigerator if you like.

17. Cube the paneer. You don't have to cube it - you can triangle it also if you like. Any geometrical shape will do just fine. Or you can not cube it and make a paneer scramble.

18. Optional: fry the paneer pieces lightly in canola oil.

Congratulations! You've made paneer! If you enjoyed the experience and like the results (or even if you don't like the results), you'll find that you'll refine your process for making paneer over time and tailor to your preferences of how you like my paneer. I like mine tender and moist, not chewey and hard so what is described above are the steps that I follow. See what works for you.

Alternative steps:

1. Show someone else the recipe and have them make the paneer.

2. Purchase premade paneer. On a serious note here - I have not found anyone selling paneer that advertises that they make their paneer from organic milk. If you know of someone who does, please share!

Now, you must be wondering... I've made all this great paneer. What do I do with it?

You eat it!

There are many dishes you can make with your paneer. Paneer is one of those foods that goes wonderfully with a number of dishes. You can serve it with peas in a tomato gravy ("Mattar Paneer"). You can serve it with spinach ("Palak Paneer"). You can serve it in a tomato and cream gravy ("Shai Paneer"). You can marinate and grill your paneer. You can put some salt seasoning an pepper and eat your paneer. Or you can just eat your paneer straight up (for serious paneer lovers only!).

I like to make my paneer, cut up in 1" cubes, in a tomato gravy. I'll share this recipe another time.

Happy eating!