Similar to making your own yogurt at home, home made paneer seems like such an economical and easy option. It does, however, have several drawbacks. Considering the amount of milk you need to produce one small block of paneer, it's not so much economical as gastronomically wasteful. If you enjoy yellow tinged, sour buttermilk, you are in for a treat, if not, then all that by-product is going down the drain. (Apparently, if you have a flock of ducks, you can feed it to them). It does have the advantage of making you feel quite smug and it tastes wonderful: milky, fresh, with a slight tang from the lemon juice, and the ever present virtue of becoming crisp and toasty once fried. It's worth making it at least once, if only to realise that great cheese, able to withstand frying, does not require any fancy equipment or rennet.
For this recipe, the paneer was fried until golden brown and crisp and mixed with fresh peas, fried onion and a few spices. The natural sweetness of the peas is enhanced with the onions, while some chili peppers and garam masala add an earthiness and heat and, of course, the paneer adds a little fresh chewiness with caramelized edges.
Recipe : Home-made paneer
1 litre (4.5 cups) of milk
juice of one lemon (or more as needed
Heat the milk gently in a large pan over medium heat until just boiling. Reduce the heat to low and add the lemon juice. Stir constantly until the mixture curdles. This should happen after about 1 minute. If you find you are stirring for a while and nothing is happening, you may need to add more lemon juice until curdling occurs.
Pour the entire mixture into a clean tea towel or piece of muslin, set over a sieve or colander with a bowl underneath. The curds of cheese will be caught in the towel with the buttermilk drained into the bowl below. If you want to keep the buttermilk, transfer it to a bowl large enough to cover and refrigerate. (I don't know what you can do with it - apart from those ducks, you'll have to research yourself). Run some cold water from the tap through the cheese to gently wash away some of the lemon juice and squeeze gently to remove as much water as possible.
You now need to 'drip dry' the paneer to allow it to form a more solid block. Gather up the ends of the tea towel or muslin, encasing the cheese inside and tie the ends over a wooden spoon. Suspend the spoon from some cupboard handles or elsewhere and place a bowl underneath to catch all the drips. (This was my way of doing it - please feel free to find your own). Squeeze the towel a few times to start the draining process and leave for 20 minutes up to one hour.
After this time, the paneer should be quite firm and is ready to be placed in a mold to be refrigerated.
Scoop the cheese from the towel and press into a cheese mold, (like the one above, with holes at the bottom - you can easily make your own, use a plastic bowl which you have skewered some holes into). To make a very firm cheese, place a piece of wax paper on the top and then place a heavy object, such as a full jar, on top of that. Refrigerate overnight.
The next day you will be rewarded with a firm block of cheese which can be cut into squares and eaten as is, or....
....fried like Halloumi, with the virtue of not melting when heat is applied and able to become brown and crispy. Simply heat some oil in a pan until quite hot and add the cheese. Turn once the bottom is browned and continue to fry until crispy all over. Drain on kitchen towel and continue with your recipe. Because the cheese is so firm, it makes a great substitute for meat in a curry sauce or with vegetables, like this one.
Recipe : Panir Mattar
Adapted from Indian Cooking by Naomi Good
4oz (125g) of panir
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp finely chopped onion
3 fl oz of water
8oz (250g) of fresh or frozen peas
1/2 tsp sugar
1 inch piece ginger, finely chopped
2 green chili peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander (cilantro)
Heat the oil in a heavy pan over medium heat and fry the paneer as described above. Remove and set aside. Add the onions to the pan and fry until golden and soft. Remove also.
Add the water and a little salt and bring to the boil. Add the peas and sugar and cook until the peas are tender and the water evaporated.
Add the onions, ginger and chilies and stir. Cook for 2 minutes, then gently stir in the paneer and cook for another 2 minutes. Finally stir in the garam masala and coriander and stir well. Serve.
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