homemade paneer

Making this Indian cheese, paneer at home is easy following this simple recipe. Homemade paneer is softer &amp; more superior in taste than the store bought one. Watch the video below for best results.

How to make paneer

½ liters full fat milk ((6 cups))

vinegar ((substitute

colander ((strainer))

cheese cloth ((muslin cloth or fresh handkerchief))

large bowl ((to collect whey))

heavy objects

Pour milk to a heavy bottom pot &amp; bring it to a gentle boil on a medium heat. Keep stirring occasionally to ensure the milk doesn&#039;t get scorched at the bottom. 

Meanwhile place a colander over a large bowl to collect the whey. Spread a cheese cloth over the colander.

Preparation

When the milk comes to a boil, turn off the stove and pour 2 tablespoons of vinegar.

Stir it well for 1 to 2 mins until the entire milk curdles completely. (milk solids begin to separate from the whey). When done correctly whey will be not be milky any more but will be clear.

Troubleshooting: If you see the milk doesn&#039;t curdle fully, then turn ON the stove &amp; boil the milk on a medium heat until the whole pot of milk curdles. Turn off as soon as you see it curdles. If you continue to cook at this stage, paneer can become hard.

Gently pour the entire paneer along with whey to the colander. Pour some cold water to stop the paneer from cooking further.

Rinse it under running water to remove the smell &amp; taste of the vinegar. 

Wring the cheese cloth making a round shape of the paneer. Squeeze any excess whey or water. Make a knot and hang the paneer for 30 mins so the excess whey drains.

Remove the knot and twist the edges of the cloth. Place the cheese cloth along with the paneer on a flat colander or a wooden board. Press down the cloth &amp; place a heavy object on it for the paneer to set. (check the video below)

I usually put a pot or cast iron pan over the paneer and then place a 2 to 3 kg rice pack.

After 3 to 4 hours, remove the cloth and cut the paneer to cubes. 

Refrigerate the homemade paneer and use up with 2 to 3 weeks. Or freeze up to 3 months.

Avoid overcooking the paneer after adding it to the curry. It does not need much cooking. I generally add it to the gravy and turn off the stove. Keep the pan covered so the paneer absorbs the flavors.

How to set paneer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkyEfJP5wQk

Paneer is an Indian cheese made by curdling milk with an acidic ingredient.  This video shows you how to make soft, yet firm paneer that won't break in your curry.
If you are making paneer for the first time, do check out my detailed post here on my blog: 
https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/how-to-make-paneer-cubes-at-home/

How to make Paneer (Soft & Firm Paneer that won't break in your curry)

Step by step instructions on how to make paneer at home. Making homemade paneer is easier than you think! It tastes so much better than store bought.

How to Make Paneer

milk

white vinegar (or lemon juice)

Add milk to a heavy bottom pan on medium heat.

Let the milk come to a boil, stir often so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Once the milk has come to a boil, turn off the heat and start adding vinegar (or lemon juice), little at a time.

At one point, the milk will curdle and you will see the whey separate. At that point, stop adding the curdling agent and wait for 5 minutes so that the milk curdles completely.

Drain the curdled milk into a muslin cloth. Rinse the paneer with cold water so that the final paneer doesn’t have any taste of vinegar.

Bring the ends of muslin cloth together and squeeze as much water as you can.

Then flatten the paneer (wrapped inside the muslin cloth) and place it on a flat surface. Then place a heavy object on top for it to set. I placed a plate and then placed mortar &amp; pestle on top. Leave it undisturbed for 1 to 2 hours.

Once the paneer is set, remove it carefully from the muslin cloth and cut into cubes. Use paneer in any of your favorite recipes.

How to make Paneer Cheese - a fresh Indian Cheese that can be made at home to use in Indian curry, masala, wraps and stews! Easy, step by step recipe.

white vinegar

water

sea salt

Heat milk in a large nonstick pot (or dutch oven) over medium heat, until it just begins to simmer, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you feel a layer forming at the bottom don&#8217;t disrupt it, or try to mix it in. Turn the heat down, and stir without scraping it up.

Mix 6 tablespoons vinegar with 2 cups water and set aside.

Once the milk comes to a simmer, where you see active bubbles, and just about to boil, turn heat off and let stand 10 minutes.

Add the vinegar water, a little at a time, stirring very very slowly and gently, until curds start separating. You want nice big curds, so excess stirring, or vigorous stirring will break them apart and make them smaller.

Let this cool to room temperature before straining, giving only an occasional stir. As it cools the whey will change from cloudy to clear with a slightly greenish hue. This is perfect.  (If for some reason, the curds and whey are not separating, stir in more vinegar, a teaspoon at a time till you see a separation.)

Place a large double layer of cheesecloth (roughly 2 feet by 2 feet) over a large colander. You could place the colander over a large bowl to save the whey for other uses, if you like. Or just drain into the sink.

Once the curds and whey have cooled, and whey is clear-ish, pour carefully, slowly into the colander. Let it sit and drain until most of the whey has drained. Rinse gently with a little luke warm tap water to remove the vinegar. Do not squeeze any water out, this will result in hard paneer. Just let it drain naturally. Gather up the four corners of the cheesecloth and tie them together, either hanging from a wood spoon positioned over a deep bowl &#8211; or hang on the kitchen faucet to drain in the sink. See photos above.  Drain for one hour.

Gently unwrap paneer and place it on a thin tea towel or kitchen towel. With the heal of your palm massage it away from you, gently pressing down into the towel, breaking up the curds while allowing the towel to absorb more water. Sprinkle with salt and massage it in. Gather up the paneer into a ball, in the center of the towel. Fold the towel over the paneer into a neat and tidy square, roughly 8 x 8 inches, or an inch thick.

Place a plate (with a smooth bottom)  over the paneer and press it down firmly and evenly until paneer fills out the square. Add a little weight to the top of the plate and place this in the fridge, on top of another towel to catch any remaining liquid. After 15 minutes, paneer is ready. Or continue to refrigerate, but remove the plate.

Carefully unwrap and cut with a sharp knife.

To pan-sear paneer, heat oil in a non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat, seasoning the oil with salt and pepper. Place the paneer carefully in the oil and let it form a golden crust. If it is sticking ( in cast iron), it means it is not quite ready to flip over. As the golden crust forms, it will release itself from the pan. Key is moderate heat.

This was easy and turned out perfect! Thanks for the clear directions. Will make this again.

We had no idea Paneer would be so simple to make. Thanks for sharing how to do this. We made your Palak paneer and it was exquisite!

Came out perfect. Used it in your Spinach Curry recipe. Very good.

I can’t wait to try the recipe with whole milk next time. I used 2% and it was delicious. What do you do with the whey?

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/0JCbhVVE.mp4

How to make Paneer Cheese – a fresh, Indian Cheese that can be made at home to use in Indian curry, masala, wraps and stews! An easy, step-by-step guide! Can be made in 2 hours with ½ hour hands-on time. Video!

How to Make Paneer Video

Make fresh paneer at home with only a few simple ingredients. This easy homemade paneer recipe creates the softest, most tender paneer cheese from scratch.

How to make Paneer

litre full fat whole milk

lemon juice (or vinegar

cheese cloth

some bowls and a heavy weight object or plates

First, rinse a large, heavy duty pot with water. Add milk to the pot.

Then begin to heat the milk on a medium-low heat.

Stir occasionally so that the skin does not form on the surface and also so that the milk does not get burnt from the bottom.

Meanwhile, take a pan or a bowl. Place a strainer on the pan. Line the strainer with clean muslin or cheesecloth or cotton napkin. You can even line the pan directly with the muslin.

Boiling milk

When the milk starts boiling, add the lemon juice or vinegar. Begin to stir.&nbsp;

The milk has to curdle completely. Stir the milk when it is curdling so that the curdled milk does not stick to the base of the pan.

Sometimes you will see the milk has curdled partly but no watery whey can be seen. In this case also add 1 to 2 teaspoons more of the food acid and stir again. You should see the greenish colored whey in the milk.

After the milk has curdled completely and you see the greenish whey, switch off the heat and then immediately pour the entire mixture in the strainer lined with the muslin, cheesecloth or cotton napkin.

Carefully gather the edges of the muslin as the coagulated milk mixture will be very hot. While doing this more of the whey will be strained.

Run some clean fresh water on the gathered muslin all over.

Adding food acid

With the ends tightly gathered, run clean, fresh water all over the cloth to rinse.

Keep a heavy weight on top of the muslin or cheesecloth for 30 to 40 minutes. Use a heavy object having 500 to 600 grams weight. You can even hang the muslin bundle for an hour on your kitchen basin faucet if not using a heavyweight object.

Some more whey will be strained when you place the heavyweight object. So remove the whey from the plate.&nbsp;

After 30 to 40 minutes&nbsp;the paneer will set.&nbsp;

Once warm or cooled cut homemade paneer into cubes or any shape.

You can also refrigerate the paneer. Keep it in an air tight container or immerse the paneer block in a bowl of water and keep in the fridge.

Homemade paneer stays fresh for 2 to 3 days in the fridge in an air-tight container. You can slice the paneer cheese later and use it any recipe.

Making paneer

https://embed.mediavine.com/videos/avcp0em3mxjdks57bvib

Homemade paneer is very easy to make and you get soft paneer cubes that can be added in any Indian curry or gravy or rice or a sweet based dish. This post details the method of making paneer quickly with plenty of tips to get soft paneer.

Recipe video above. Homemade paneer is far superior to store bought. It&#039;s softer and creamier, and has much better flavour. It&#039;s easy to make, without special equipment. All it takes is a little patience to let the cheese set in the fridge for 4 hours. Use paneer to make the great Indian classic, Palak Paneer (Spinach Curry with Paneer)

Homemade Paneer (Fresh Indian Cottage Cheese)

tbsp lemon juice ((sub white vinegar))

Heat the milk in a large saucepan over medium high heat until the top becomes foamy, just as looks like it&#039;s about to boil.

Turn stove off. Add lemon juice and stir for 1 minute. The milk should begin to curdle. If it doesn’t, turn the stove back on and bring back to a gentle boil until the solids separate.

Curdle milk:

Line strainer or colander: Place over a deep bowl. Line strainer with 2 layers of cheesecloth (Note 1).

Strain: Ladle in half of the curdled milk to begin with, then pour the rest in. Leave until all the liquid drains – this might take 5 to 10 minutes.

Rinse: Discard liquid (whey) in the bowl. Bundle the paneer up in the cheesecloth (it will still be quite watery at this stage) then rinse bundle briefly under cold tap water. This helps to remove lemon flavour + cool for easier handling.

Squeeze out excess water by twisting the cheesecloth and squeezing the bundle, but not so hard that paneer squeezes out through the cloth. Once liquid no longer comes out, stop. The paneer will still be quite soft at this stage.

Strain &amp; remove excess water:

Weigh cheese down with weights: Shape cheese into a disc around 2cm / ¾&quot; thick, still wrapped in cheesecloth. Place in a strainer or colander set over a bowl. Top with a small plate then 2 x 400g/14oz cans (or similar weight).

Refrigerate for 4 hours. During this time the paneer will set (become firm) and remaining liquid will drain out. (Note 2)

Set in fridge:

Remove paneer from fridge and carefully unwrap. There will be a dent in the middle, this is normal (it&#039;s from the draining).

At this stage, the paneer is now ready for use. You can either cut it immediately and use in a recipe (such as Palak Paneer!), or store the whole uncut block for another time and just cut when needed.

Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for 3 months.

Storage / cutting:

Introducing the world of delicious Indo-Chinese cuisine with this crispy, fried Chili Paneer that&#039;s tossed in a hot, tangy sauce. This dish fuses Indian ingredients with Chinese sauces and is typically made in a wok. It&#039;s a popular appetizer or can be served with noodles for a full meal.

Chili Paneer

tbsp all-purpose flour

tbsp corn starch

tsp kashmiri chili powder

tsp black pepper

tsp salt

water (as needed)

oz paneer

oil (for frying)

tbsp soy sauce (low sodium)

tbsp ketchup

tbsp sriracha

tbsp rice wine vinegar

tbsp honey

neutral oil

tbsp ginger garlic paste

green chili (chopped)

green bell pepper (squared)

red onion (squared)

scallions, sesame seeds (to garnish)

Prep by cubing the paneer into 3/4&quot; x 3/4&quot; pieces. Chop the bell pepper and onion into cubes the same size of the paneer.

Add the all purpose flour, corn starch, chili powder, black pepper and salt into a mixing bowl. Give it a quick mix, then add the water until a thick but runny batter forms. Toss the paneer in the batter thoroughly to coat.

Heat neutral oil in a pan for shallow frying the paneer. It should be about 1-2 inches high. Carefully transfer the paneer into the oil and fry on each side, or until golden brown and crispy. Remove the paneer from the oil and set them on a plate lined with a paper towel. Set aside.

While the paneer fries, mix the soy sauce, ketchup, sriracha, rice wine vinegar, and honey together in a small bowl. Additionally, whisk the corn starch and 1/4 - 1/3 cup of water in a separate bowl and set aside.

In a wok or cast iron pan on medium to high heat, pour in the oil. When the oil is hot, add in the ginger garlic paste, green chilis, bell pepper, and red onion. Sauté until the onion is translucent, 2-3 minutes. The vegetables should still be crunchy.

Lower the heat to a medium flame. Add the sauce into the cast iron and toss with the vegetables. Then, the corn starch slurry to thicken. Once it&#39;s thickened to the desired consistency, add the fried paneer in and toss until well coated. Remove from heat.

Serve warm in a platter and garnish with sliced scallions and sesame seeds. Serve with rice, noodles, or as an appetizer.

This is the easiest recipe you&#39;ll find for Palak Paneer. No blanching spinach, no heavy spices and the result is a luxurious, creamy restaurant style dish that takes only 30 minutes to make.

Easy Palak Paneer Recipe

Ghee (divided)

Garlic Cloves (chopped)

Green Chilli (chopped)

Onion (sliced)

chopped Palak ((spinach), stems

Coriander

Bayleaf

Cardamom Pods

Cloves

Tomato (finely chopped)

½ tsp Jeera Powder

½ tsp Coriander Powder

¼ tsp Garam Masala Powder

Salt

tsp Kasuri Methi (roasted

tbsp Cream

Paneer

Ghee

Garlic Cloves (smashed

Red Chillies

tsp Jeera

tsp Red Chilli Powder

Cook the base of the gravy

Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a pan and saute garlic for 30 seconds. Add sliced onions and green chillies and saute till the onion is just starting to become light brown. Add the palak (spinach) and coriander leaves and saute for a minute. Then turn off the heat and cover and let the leaves wilt for another 2-3 minutes. Set this aside to cool and then blend to a paste.

Soften Paneer

In a bowl, add paneer and cover this with hot water. Let this sit for 10 minutes. This step is optional, but it helps soften the paneer.

Cook tomatoes

In the same pan, heat ghee and saute bayleaf, cardamom and cloves for a minute. Add tomatoes, jeera powder, coriander powder and salt and cook the tomatoes for 4-5 minutes till soft. Add kasuri methi and garam masala and cook for another minute.

Cook gravy

Add the pureed spinach and bring this to a gentle boil. Then turn off the heat, add the cream and paneer and let the paneer warm up in the hot gravy. If you haven’t soaked your paneer in hot water earlier, then let the paneer simmer in the gravy for a minute.

Make tempering

Finally make the tadka by add ghee and garlic to a small pan. Cook the garlic till its a golden brown. Then add whole red chillies and jeera. Once the jeera starts spluttering, turn off the flame and add chilli powder.

Serve

Pour this tadka on the palak paneer for an extra garlicky kick! Serve hot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZcqPgWrw9M

Full Recipe: https://myfoodstory.com/easy-palak-paneer-recipe/

This Easy Palak Paneer recipe tastes incredible with a few secret tips and tricks to get that same restaurant style flavour. You don’t need to pre blanch the spinach, or add too many masalas. Quick, easy but so good!!

Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
0:22 - Add Aromatics
0:58 - Add Spinach & Coriander  
1:24 - Blend
1:41 - Soak Paneer in hot water
1:50 - Add whole spices & tomatoes
2:10 - Add spices & salt
2:40 - Add the spinach mixture
2:55 - Add cream 
3:12 - Add Paneer
3:31 - Tempering
4:10 - Serve

Lasooni Palak Paneer - Restaurant Style

Easy to follow recipe for creamy matar paneer curry which is ready in under 30 minutes. Comforting and home style, this ghar ka khana recipe is a winner!

Creamy Matar Paneer Curry

Tablespoons Oil Vegetable Or Canola

Onion Finely Chopped

Teaspoons Ginger

Tablespoon Garlic

Green Chillies (Chopped)

Tomatoes Finely Chopped

Teaspoon Jeera Or Cumin Seeds

Teaspoon Red Chilli Powder

Coriander Powder

½ Teaspoon Turmeric Powder

Cup Greek Yogurt Or Hung Curd

Water

Salt (I used 1 ½ Teaspoon)

Teaspoon Roasted Kasuri Methi Optional

Teaspoon Garam Masala Powder

Grams Paneer Or Indian Cottage Cheese (Cut Into 1 Inch Pieces)

¾ Cup Par Boiled Green Peas Or Frozen Matar (Thawed And Boiled)

To Taste

Tablespoon Coriander Leaves (chopped)

Cook aromatics

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan and add  onion, ginger, garlic, green chilli and saute for a 5-6 minutes till the onions are translucent.

Add tomatoes and mix. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes till the tomatoes are cooked through.

cool and blend into paste

Allow this to cool and transfer to a mixer. Puree this mixture into a smooth paste. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water if required.

prepare tempering

Heat a tablespoon of oil in the pan add cumin seeds. Once they start to splutter add red chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder along with 2 tablespoons of water.

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Top 9 homemade paneer recipes from across the web

The most viewed homemade paneer recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

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Homemade Paneer (Fresh Indian Cotta...

Chili Paneer

Easy Palak Paneer Recipe

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The most viewed homemade paneer recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine