home made paneer

    This is the first time I am making paneer at home, other than I made it for making Rasgulla. That is this is the first time I am setting paneer and made to cubes. Here paneer is bit expensive and also cannot rely on a specific brand. The place where I shop always changes the brand they are selling, so get puzzled at the ingredients and the quality. I love amul paneer but its been ages since they kept it here for sale. After that tried few unknown brands and was not that satisfied.I then liked kohinoor paneer, but they stopped keeping that too. From that time onwards I used to think I should try making at home. But always wondered, 1 litre milk makes only this much paneer? But not bad you know, its enough to make once any paneer dish, that serves 2-3. 
  So for first time I am very much satisfied with the results and I am sure I can make this often. This time I was not patient enough to leave it, I kept on checking if the paneer is set or no and learnt few lessons. Next time I am sure I can make it perfect… Don’t forget to check out the notes section.

Ingredients(to make 30 small cubes)

Milk (I used full cream)	1 litre
Curd	1/4 cup
Ice cubes	few

 

Method

Boil milk and add beaten curd to the boiling milk. Continue heating until milk completely curdles and you could see the whey water getting separated completely. Switch off the stove and add ice cubes. Now take a cheese cloth or thin dupatta and strain the paneer. I did this with the cloth over a metal strainer and a bowl below to collect the whey water. Squeeze the excess water and hang it above the sink(or in the sink tap). Let the excess water drip completely. Say for 2 hours. I squeeze gently twice in between.  Place it in a flat platform and keep a flat weight over it. I used an iron dosa pan and a pestle to press the paneer for setting it. Wait for 3 hours or more to set it and then cut into stripes using knife. You can refrigerate before cutting and cut when ever you are going to use the paneer. Then cut into small cubes and store in the fridge in a ziploc. (Use within 2-3 days)

This can be enough to serve 2 people if you make any gravy with it. To use it from freezer/ fridge, just immerse in hot water(not boiling) until you use. Will post an all time favourite recipe next week with paneer ~ Paneer butter masala :):)

Notes

Sometimes, depending upon the cloth you use for hanging the paneer, some cloth retains water.So you  may need to squeeze the excess water now and then. Make sure to hang for at least 3 hours. And also setting time at least 3 hours. More the time, better the texture of the paneer to get smoothness. You can knead the chenna (paneer separated from whey) after step 5 to make the paneer smooth. Also you can blend in a mixer.Setting time may be more if you blend in mixer. If the cloth is not tight enough to hold the shape in the sides, then sides may be bit crumbly. If using iron pan or anything make sure to put a tissue above the cloth before you place the weight. This prevents any dirt sticking over the cloth/paneer. You can use lemon juice form a lemon to curdle the milk instead of curd. But number of paneer cubes may reduce. Use more curd as mentioned to curdle properly. You can add 1/2 tsp of corn flour or all purpose flour(maida) in milk. This is used as binding agent and also prevents the paneer from crumbling. Colour of the paneer may vary with the milk type we use.

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