Homemade Paneer. Learn how to make soft and creamy paneer at home using a handful of ingredients. It is super easy to make at home. Not only you can control the ingredients, the freshness and taste will surprise you.
This post is long due. It is in my drafts for more than two years. I was trying different ways all this time but something wasn't right with the texture & taste of paneer I made at home.
However, once you get a hang of it, making paneer could be the easiest thing you do in your kitchen. The steps are simple and there are just a few things you need to keep in mind and viola you are a cheese maker! I am sharing my recipe which will help you make moist, creamy and mildly chewy paneer every single time. Use it in curries to make bhurji with it. .The paneer cubes hold up their shape when added to curries or grilled on high heat.
What is Paneer?
Paneer/Panir is something you cannot imagine indian (especially north indian) cuisine without. With vegetarianism being the popular way to eat, it is hugely consumed as a source of protein and fat. From appetizers to curries to flatbreads to desserts, it is one favorite ingredient among indians.
Back in India, freshest paneer is easily available in markets. It is so soft and creamy that you can eat it just as it is. It just melts in the mouth.
Paneer is fresh cheese but its not made by fermenting or curing or using rennet (which is a popular enzyme used in cheese making in the western countries). It is sometimes referred to as indian cottage cheese but dont get confused, the taste and texture is entirely different from cottage cheese. Paneer is unaged, firm, unsalted and non- melting dairy product which is a somewhat similar to how ricotta is made.
How To Make Paneer At Home?
There are 3 main steps involved in making paneer at home.
- Boiling & Curdling the Milk- Add milk to a large pot and bring to a rolling boil. Once boiling, switch off the stove. Add the curdling agent (details below) and let the milk curdle.
- Draining the Milk Curds - Drain the curds using a cheese cloth. Tie up the curds and let drain for an hour or so.
- Pressing the curds into a block- Weigh down the curds to form a block. Refrigerate and cube.
Refer to recipe card for detailed instructions.
Curdling Agents
There are many ways to curdle the milk and the texture and taste of differs only a bit depending on the agent you choose.
- Fresh Lemon or Lime Juice - This is one of the most common ways to curdle milk. The curds a bit of washing to do away the citrus taste but the texture is soft.
- Vinegar - This is what I use. I love that the firm texture and how creamy it is. There is no need to wash the curds either. The milk curdles faster and the you get soft and delicious cheese with a hint of tang. Love it!
- Sour Curd (Indian Yogurt) or ButterMilk - My grandmother used to use this method. You need sour curd or buttermilk for this method. In those days, curd was set at home and she used to set it out for a few hours to make it sour. This method yields firm paneer as well.
Variations You can Try
- Add some ground pepper to the milk for black pepper flavored paneer.
- You can also add ½ teaspoon turmeric to milk before curdling it for a yellow stained paneer to use it in savory recipes.
How To Use Whey
Whey is full of nutritients and is considered very good for the gut. However, I am personally not at all a fan of taste its so I simply use it to water my plants. Yes I know 🙂
I have seen many people use it cake batters, for kneading dough, while making dal and in smoothies as well. You can try and see how you like it.
Storing & Using Paneer
You can use the paneer right away in your recipes. Store it refrigerated for 3-4 days. Freeze for a month. I like to cube or portion it before freezing.
Few Tips
- Milk :- Use full fat milk. You can use any high quality milk. I usually go for organic milk. Paneer is all about fat content in the milk. I bump the milk with some heavy cream for a softer cheese but its optional to add cream.
- Temperature :- In the entire process, the temperature is very important. Adding the curdling agent when the milk is boiling or super hot will make a rubbery paneer. Please follow the instructions in recipe card.
- Do not let too much water drain from the curdled milk once you have tied it up in the cheese cloth else paneer will be dry and the curds will never pull together to form a block.
- It is better to cut when the block is cold. Use a sharp knife.
- If you paneer is still crumbly after weighing down, there could be a few reasons for this. Using skimmed or toned milk makes a crumbly paneer. Letting the paneer curds cook after the milk has coagulated can also lead to this outcome. Switch off the stove before adding curdling agent. Unfortunately, its hard to rescue so use the crumbled paneer to make paneer bhurji.
How To Make Paneer
Equipment
- Cheesecloth or Muslin Cloth
- 2 bowls
- 2 Large dinner plates
- Large heavy Pot
- Stirring Spoon preferably wooden
- Heavy Object like can of beans or cast iron pot to weigh down the curds
- Colander or Soup Strainer
Ingredients
- ½ gallon full fat milk
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup vinegar or lemon juice or sour curd
Instructions
Prep
- Line the strainer with double layer of cheesecloth/muslin. Set it over a large bowl to catch the whey such that there is gap between the bottom of strainer and the bowl. Keep rubber bands or string nearby. I recommend setting this up near your sink so that once you have strained the curds you can hang the cheesecloth on the tap.
Boil Milk & Make Curds
- Rinse the pot you will be boiling milk in with water. Without wiping, add milk to the pot. Set on a low medium stove and let the milk warm up for about 5-6 minutes. Once the milk is warm, add the heavy cream.
- Bring the whole mixture to a rolling boil. This will take 12-15 minutes on medium heat, you will need to intermittently stir the mixture to avoid formation of skin. Keep a close eye.
- Once the milk has boiled, switch off the stove. Wait for 2 minutes. Add ¼ cup of vinegar (or lemon or sour curd) to the boiled milk.Stir gently. Immediately you will see that the milk will starts to coagulate.
- It will take 40-45 seconds or so for you to start seeing greenish liquid separating (this is whey). This green liquid will be clear, if it's still whitish, you might need to add more vinegar( 1-2 teaspoon). Add 1 teaspoon at a time till you see clear green liquid. Tip:- If for some reason you dont see a green whey, switch on the stove and help the milk curdle.
- Once the milk has curdled completely, carefully lift the pot and pour the curdled milk over the strainer lined with cheesecloth. The whey will collect in the bowl.
- Carefully gather the ends of the cheesecloth and fasten with the help of rubber tie/ kitchen string. The whey will continue to strain.
- You dont need to wash the curds if you are using vinegar or sour curd. If you used lemme juice wash the tied curds under running water a few times.
- Hang the tied curds for 5 minutes so that the liquid drains away. Stop as soon as the water stops dripping in a continuous string. Just an idea :- You can set a bowl in your kitchen sink and hand from the kitchen faucet.
Weigh Down the Curds to Make Paneer block
- Place the cheesecloth on a plate and keep another plate on top of it to flatten down to a block. Next keep a heavy weight on top of it. I place a few can of beans in my cast iron skillet and use it to weigh down. Keep the curds weighed down for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- After 30-40 minutes the paneer will be set. There will be some whey in the plate from weighing down. Collect it if you wish. See posts on ideas how to use it.
- Once weighed down, place the paneer clock still wrapped in cheesecloth in the fridge for an hour. I find it much better to wait for 4-6 hours before cutting it.
- Wrap the paneer block and using a sharp knife cut as desired.
- Store in the fridge for 3-4 days. Use as needed.
Notes
- Milk :- Use full fat milk. You can use any high quality milk. I usually go for organic milk. Paneer is all about fat content in the milk. I bump the milk with some heavy cream for a softer paneer but its optional to add cream.
- Temperature :- In the entire process of making paneer, the temperature is very important. Adding the curdling agent when the milk is boiling or super hot will make a rubbery paneer. Please follow the instructions in recipe card.
- Do not let too much water drain from the curdled milk once you have tied it up in the cheese cloth else paneer will be dry and the curds will never pull together to form a block.
- It is better to cut paneer when the block is cold. Use a sharp knife.
- I recommend storing the paneer block in little bit of water (like we store fresh mozzarella) in the refrigerator. Cut out pieces as you need. However if you are freezing it, don't freeze in water.
- Add some ground pepper to the milk for black pepper flavored paneer.
- You can also add ½ teaspoon turmeric to milk before curdling it for a yellow stained paneer to use it in savory recipes.
Tanvi says
So that when you boil the milk, it does not stick to the bottom