Paneer:
Paneer is rich in milk protein, we can easily made it at home. It is very easier than you think, that it takes 10 to 15 mins to prepare paneer.
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| home made paneer |
I generally prefer homemade paneer than the store bought paneer. Because store bought paneer is quite chewy and had a different texture where as homemade paneer is very soft and had a fresh creamy texture. And more over we don't need to add preservatives to store as it makes the paneer healthy to eat.
Ingredients:
- 1 ltr milk( fresh milk or whole milk)
- 1 to 2 tsp of lemon juice or vinegar
- Muslin cloth or cotton cloth
- 1 colander
How to make paneer at home?:
- To make paneer at home, take 1 ltr of whole milk and boil on a low flame.
- After the milk comes to boil, add 1 or 2 tsp of lemon juice or vinegar. Then stir for 1 to 2 mins and milk should start curdling immediately and turn off the stove.
- Don't boil the milk after the milk had curdled completely because it makes the paneer very Hardy.
- Line a colander with a muslin cloth. Then drain and squeeze the milk solids using a muslin cloth or a cotton cloth and keep it a side for about 20 to 30 mins by making a knot of the cloth.
- Put a weight on the top of the paneer so that the excess whey drains out from the paneer.
- Remove it from the cloth and put it on a plate , put another plate on the top and place it in the freezer for 2 to 3 hrs.
- Here refrigeration helps firm up the paneer.
- After 3 hrs, take it off from the freezer and cut the paneer to cubes and is ready to use for cooking.
- We can store the paneer in the freezer for a week.
Tips:
- Use only fresh fat milk as high fats in the milk will yeild more paneer.(from 1 ltr of milk we get 200 to 250 gm of paneer depends on fat content in the milk).
- Don't boil the milk after the milk has curdled completely because it makes the paneer Hardy and rubbery.
- Don't use too much of lemon juice, that makes paneer harder.
- Take out the paneer from the freezer 1 hr before cooking, so that paneer retains it's softness.
