Home made Paneer / Cottage Cheese

With the festive season coming up, the markets are full of delicious and delectable sweets and savoury dishes... But on the flip side, there is also a rise in the illness caused by consuming the adulterated stuff.. Why not make this stuff at home, so it would be both healthy and tasty... So here's a basic ingredient Paneer/Cottage cheese used in both sweet and savoury dishes ...

Paneer or Cottage Cheese is a most common core ingredient for any Indian household. It is a form of cheese formed by curdling the milk with curd or vinegar or lemon juice or citric acid. Cottage cheese is a rich source of protein, calcium, and vitamins which are necessary for proper bone health.

          Some popular 

                 Savoury dishes are Matar Paneer, Palak Paneer, Kadhai  Paneer .

                 Sweet dishes are Bengali Rasgulla, Rasmalai , Sandesh

Ever since I have started making home made Paneer, my husband just refuses to buy the market one...as the home made one just melts in your mouth... and specially with the festivals coming up and with all the adulteration..its better to be safe than sorry ;)

Ingredients:

Full cream milk - 1 litre
Curd -1/2 cup

Preparation:

1. In a heavy bottomed pan, add the milk and bring it to a boil.
2. Add the curd little by little and mix till the milk curdles . You should see a light green clear liquid (whey) separate from the milk mass. (Instead of curd,you can use few drops of lemon juice or vinegar too... )
3. Switch off the gas, and let it remain in it for a couple of minutes.
4. In a colander, place your muslin cloth and pour the curdled milk over it. Let the whey drain completely.(* If using lemon juice or vinegar, wash the paneer/cheese with water to remove the sourness)
5. Drain the whey completely by squeezing it ... Now, tie a knot by pressing the paneer tightly and hang it for a 5 minutes on the tap.
    *You can collect the whey and use it to curdle the next time. It results in softer paneer.
6. Take 2 plates or anything flat, place the paneer in between them and place a heavy item on top (I use my mortar and pestle, you cause your chakla(rolling board) or anything heavy)
7. Keep it for atleast an hour or so, till it firms and holds shape.
8. Your Paneer is ready... Keep it in the refrigerator immersed in water.

Happy Cooking !!!!

You can check Moong Dal Paneer bites.

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