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| HOW TO MAKE PANEER |
I have been making Paneer at home since I have come down to Malaysia. I hardly buy Paneer from outside, it's not because I don't like it, its because I don't get it. Initially, I use to buy it from Little India in Singapore. At home, everybody likes dishes prepared with Paneer and the long list of versatility it caters have made this a star ingredient & a must have in my kitchen.
Curries/Gravies like Paneer Butter Masala, Paneer Tikka Masala, Paneer Matar, Palak Paneer, Saag Paneer, Malai Kofta Curry or prepare Starters like Paneer Tikkas, Chilli Paneer, Paneer Manchurian, Deep-fried Koftas makes a perfect combination for both Rice & Roti. Shred and Season Paneers for a perfect stuffings for Parathas, Spring Rolls, Sandwich or even for a new style of Paneer Masala Dosa. A long list of Desserts and Sweets like Rasmalai, Gulab Jamun, Rasagulla, Sandesh, Chum Chum, Jalebi, Laddoo, Paneer Kheer, Kulfi etc., all make Paneer a queen in the kitchen.
It has a uniqueness to add richness and taste to the dish it is added into. All these have made PANEER/CHENNA a must have in my pantry. A little bit of time and patience is what we need to make this. And all the more, homemade paneers are more hygienic, unprocessed and cheap too.
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| HOW TO MAKE PANEER |
For more recipes with PANEER/CHENNA, Click here...
HOW TO MAKE PANEER
INGREDIENTS :
For Paneer :
Milk - 1 LtrLemon Juice/Vinegar/ Curd(Yoghurt) - 1 Tbspn.
METHOD :
- Boil the Milk.
- When it starts to boil, add the Lemon Juice/Vinegar/Curd/Yogurt.
- Within few minutes the Milk starts to curdle.
- When the Milk fully curdles, switch off the flame.
- Add few ice cubes to the above. This will stop anymore curdling which can make the Paneer Chewy.
- Strain the curdled Milk immediately into a thin cotton napkin/clean muslin cloth.
- Drain the Whey water.
- Collect the napkin together and tie it tightly with the coagulated Milk shreds inside.
- Hang it above a bowl until all the remaining whey water is totally drained. (For about 2-3 hours)
- Then place the tied napkin on a plate or a cutting board and keep a heavy object on top it.
- Press it well to make it flat and also it removes any remaining whey water from it.
- Leave it aside for 2-3 hours.
- The Paneer/Chenna would be set.
- Remove the Paneer from the cloth napkin and cut it into cubes or into any desired shape.
- Can refrigerate the home-made Paneer - if so keep it in an airtight container or immerse the Paneer block in a bowl of water.
NOTES :
- Good quality milk and full cream milk yields excellent Paneers/Chenna.
- Can use any one of the three coagulating agents: lemon juice, curd or vinegar
- If you don’t prefer a bit of acidic smell from lemon or vinegar in paneer, add curd to coagulate it.
- Once the lemon juice or vinegar is added the milk will start to curdle.
- When the milk completely curdles the whitish or greenish whey water separates from it.
- Immediately switch off the flame,
- Add few ice cubes to the above. This will stop anymore curdling which can make the Paneer Chewy.
- Do not boil once it is totally coagulated.
- Remove from fire immediately and strain the curdled milk.
- Overcooking will yield a hard & chewy Paneer once set.
- One way to keep the Paneer soft in the fridge is to soak the paneer block in water in a bowl.
- Once refrigerated Paneer will last up to a week and can be frozen too.
- If doing so do not cut the Paneer into cubes. Can do it before cooking the Paneer.
- Can also soak the Paneer in warm water after you have removed it from the fridge before cooking.
- Can use any kind of thin, clean & absorbent cloth to strain the Paneer.
- Do not throw away the Whey Water. It can be used in a lot of ways and has got many medicinal uses too...
