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How to make Paneer
May 24th, 2008 filed under Miscellaneous, Paneer (Indian Cheese)
Paneer is a homemade Indian cheese. Paneer is used many different ways making desserts, appetizers and main course dishes.
Paneer (how to)
Ingredients:
- 8 cups (half gallon) milk
- 1/4 cup lemon Juice
Method:
- Mix lemon juice in half cup of hot water and put aside.
- Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, making sure not to burn milk.
- As the milk comes to a boil, add the lemon juice gradually and stir the milk gently. The curd will start separating from the whey, turn off the heat.
- Once the milk fat has separated from the whey, drain the whey using a strainer line with cheesecloth, or muslin cloth.
- Wrap the curds in a muslin cloth, rinse under cold water, and squeeze well. This process takes out the sourness from the lemon.
- To take out the excess water, press the wrapped paneer under a heavy pan for about 1 hour.
Tips:
If paneer will be used to make any dessert dish:
- The most important part of making paneer for dessert is how much water to take out from the paneer.
- To check if right amount of water is out of the paneer, take a little piece of paneer on your palm and rub with your fingers. After rubbing the paneer for about 15-20 seconds, you should be able to make a firm but smooth ball.
- For making sweets, paneer can be refrigerated for 1 to 2 days.
- Paneer from half-gallon milk will make about 15 to 20 rasgullas.
- I suggest 2% milk for rasgullas, rasmalai, chamcham or any other dish in that category.
- For sandaish, burfee or any other such dish use regular milk.
If paneer will be used for making main dishes:
- Before Pressing the paneer knead it enough so paneer is not crumbly.
- Press the paneer instead one hour, two hours making firmer.
- Cut the paneer to desired shape. Paneer can be refrigerated for a few days or kept frozen for months.
Variations:
- Add salt to the paneer, if you like with your choice of spices one or more, including black pepper, roasted cumin seed, chopped green chilies, chopped cilantro (Hara Dhania) or to your taste.
Hello Manjulaji,
I frequently watch your recipes and have tried some successful attempts.
I tried making paneer with whole milk 1 galloon. But my lemon juice was less so I added some vinegar. And now the paneer is been resting overnight but still it is mushy like thick curd. What should I do?
What would have been the actual problem? The vineger or the tying was not proper?
Can I still use this in any recipe? Should I try the whey with more lemon juice now? Please guide or else I will need to throw away that which I do not like.
Hi D,
Using vinegar and lemon juice together should be ok. The way you describe your paneer I think the curd did not separated from the whey all the way. May be you needed to add little more vinegar until whey is very clear.
But do not throw the paneer mix little bread and bake it till it is firm and then use like paneer or make paneer burfi, follow the recipe I have posted earlier.
Thank u. I also saw the recipe u have for malai kofta. so was planning for that. But the paneer is too much. so can try with barfi too.
Thank again for such a quick reply
thasnks
you are graet
thankyou very much
you are great
I don’t even bother with cheesecloth. Use a strainer with a very fine mesh.
Hello Auntyji, Thanks for this awesome video. Where do I buy cheese cloth? I am fairly new to cooking. Is there any other alternative I could use?
Hello Manjula,
I am addicted to indian food, and will eat it whenever i go, thank you for this wonderful site, thank you for sharing with us how to make paneer, i hope to try it for my family soon!
amina
Eritrea