How to Make Paneer

Last week I made paneer, the mild Indian cheese that hides underneath spinach in saag paneer. To those of you who recall that I recently made my own butter, let me explain: I'm not a crazed dairy maid wannabe. I promise. I'm just obsessed with Indian food. I eat it till I'm sick.

After a recent dinner with E. and G. over daal, shrimp vindaloo, chicken tikka masala, naan and an excellent saag paneer, I decided to go Indian in my very own kitchen. I was feeling adventurous, and the idea of making my very own fresh chunks of mild, creamy cheese held great appeal. Not only would it mean fresh cheese at my fingertips, but if I could do that, what couldn't I do? She who can turn milk into cheese is something akin to a goddess, and I've always looked good in white flowing gowns. With flowers in my hair. Ooh, and servants fanning me with palms and annointing my feet with precious oils and playing the harp in the corner of my living room.

Let's see. Where was I...?

Right. Saag paneer. And so, I planned the menu: the star of the show would be served with baked basmati rice using a recipe by the famous Madhur Jaffrey and chicken tandoori marinated overnight in a soup of yogurt, curry, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and garlic. (No, I do not have a fire-burning tandoori oven. Whatever. I broiled it. It was good.) Can't forget my favorite condiment, mango chutney. I figured I wouldn't tackle making naan from scratch but I needed a vehicle for my chutney-love, so I decided to pick some up from the Indian joint down the street.

The evening didn't quite come together as I'd planned. I didn't feel like going out to pick up the naan and the saag paneer was a lot of effort for a dish that wasn't as good as the stuff I've had out. (Not to mention that the cherubs I ordered never showed and Mr. FM refused to wear his toga. Harumph.) The dish wimped out a bit on flavor and the consistency wasn't creamy enough, leading me to believe that my version had less fat in it (perhaps due to my substitution of oil for ghee?). Mr. Food Musings, however, actually preferred the fresher, lighter taste of the homemade saag paneer.

Both of us, however, liked the fresh cheese. It turned out well and was fun to make, so I figured I'd share the method with you. You can use it in a number of dishes, from stir fries to omelets to curries to finger food.

It's fairly simple to make: boil some whole milk, throw in something acidic to curdle it (white vinegar or lemon juice), strain it through cheesecloth, then weight it down to remove any remaining liquid. Once that's done you can refrigerate it till you're ready to eat it, or cut it into chunks right away and fry them gently in hot oil, making sure to brown all sides.

I made paneer twice (the first batch didn't yield much). Had I not let the milk boil over, I would have ended the first paneer making session with a lovely, though small, block of fresh paneer and no messy cleanup. As it happened, I spent 30 minutes taking apart my stove to clean the burner, the metal cup that lies under it, and the inside of my stove. I managed to get it all cleaned up, except the poor pot which had to soak overnight (sigh...I knew I should have stayed in the kitchen and watched the milk. But Oprah was on.). The second batch produced much more cheese, and I've modified the instructions so you will get as much as I did the second go-round.

To be honest, I bet the cheese would be lovely warmed again and drizzled with some fresh honey. Doesn't that sound like just the thing to be fed while reclining on the chaise lounge after dinner? Hmmm, I wonder if Mr. Food Musings can make any of his seven guitars* sound like a harp...?

Paneer
Yield: 1 1/2 cups

1/2 gallon whole milk
2 TBSP lemon juice

1. In a heavy saucepan, bring milk to a boil. (When it has reached full boil, it will look very foamy and quickly - QUICKLY, I say - rise in the pot. To avoid the ensuing mess, remove it from the heat right away.) Add lemon juice and stir until small curds separate from the whey, about 2-3 minutes.
2. Let sit 10 minutes so curds can develop, then drain into a collander lined with 2 layers of cheesecloth. When cool enough to handle, tie up opposite ends of the cheese cloth and squeeze out remaining liquid.
3. Place paneer, still in cheese cloth, on a plate. Flatten to 1/2" thick and top with another plate. Rest something heavy on top (such as several cans or the Joy of Cooking) and let sit 20 minutes.
4. Pour off any liquid that remains and refrigerate overnight, or use immediately by cutting paneer into 1/2" cubes and frying gently in oil, turning to brown each side.

*They're all completely different. Really.

Comments

[tanvi]

mmm paneer! ive never tried to make it myself but i love the stuff. if you prefer the kind you've had in indian restuarants, you should try buying paneer from any indian store- my family uses it all the time and its pretty good. just a suggestion.

ps. im enjoying your blog!

[Catherine]

Such a good idea, Tanvi. I should really learn to be lazier ;) Truth be told, I'm not sure where all this sudden industriousness came from! Naan and paneer could be a meal by themselves! Thanks for the kind words about the blog!

[Riti]

Hi,

Thanks for the receipe for paneer.

However, Please let me know , is little bit of lemon juice sufficient (1 tsp)? Also, I didn't let the milk come to a full boil and added the lemon juice. I did not get any paneer.

Thanks,
Riti

[Catherine]

Riti - you don't say how much milk you started with, but you can see that in my recipe a 1/2 gallon requires at least 2 TBSP of lemon juice, and some recipes call for 3. You probably didn't use enough. And, you have to let the milk come to a boil first. Go back and try again, following the directions to the letter, and you should have no problem. My first try was successful, after all! Good luck!

[Daoud]

New link to superchefblog article on Madhur Jaffrey is:
http://www.superchefblog.com/2004/11/madhur-jaffrey-our-lady-of-india-cbe.html

[MANOJ]

NOW I CAN TEACH MY GIRL HOW TO MAKE PANEER
TIKKA, YOU MADE MY DAY.

[ananya]

hi....i m just married and never made paneer at home b'coz i was afraid that it would not be good.........after this i tried that and that is delicious.
thanks
ananya

[Anita]

Hi,
Read your article and enjoyed it thoroughly. Just thought I'd add to it. The watery liquid that separates (whey)from paneer is very healthy and greatly contributes to the flavouring of any gravy. Please do not pour it away. In fact, infants who have indigestion problems are given this liquid if they are unable to digest milk.
Just thought this info might be of use.

Anita.

[Catherine]

Anita -- that's very interesting and informative, thank you for adding this to the post!

[Lou]

I found a similar recipe on the web and tried it this weekend.
Complete failure. I ended using 3 lemons and at least 2 TBSP of vinegar and I never got the milk to curddle, for the whey to separate. I think I didn't let it boil first. Also, is whole milk sufficient? Or should one use something heavier half/half or even cream? I used 1 litre of whole milk. I added some salt and curry powder for flavor and then added tbsp after tbsp of lemon juice. In the end I used 3 lemons, nothing happend.
Do you stir after you add the lemon juice or do just let it sit?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Lou.

[Catherine]

Lou, Whole milk is sufficient. I am no paneer expert, but the two times I made it I followed these directions precisely -- e.g. let it come to a boil before adding lemon juice, stir a few minutes until the curds start to separate, then let it sit the 10 minutes or so for it to develop fully. Both times it worked very well. I would try it again, and let it boil before you add the lemon juice. Also, you could consult Harold McGee or similiar text to see if adding the salt somehow changes the milk's ability to curdle (cannot imagine it does, but one never knows). Good luck!

[PaneerKing]

This recipe works great. You just have to simply read the directions and FOLLOW THEM. Thanks for the great Paneer.

[Sunny]

Hello,
I learned to make Paneer from a friend who gave the exact same directions as this site except she used vinegar instead of lemon juice. I tried to make it once and did not let it boil and did not end up with Paneer. I also once tried to use half and half or some heavier cream thinking that it would give me more curds compared to whole milk. I was wrong as I got no curds at all. Just something yucky. The best way is to use whole milk and either lemon juice or vinegar and don't forget to let it boil. It is so delicious! Good luck all.

[mary ann tracy]

i am always trying to watch the fat content of foods. is it possible that paneer can be made by using skim milk or what about soy milk? i would greatly appreciate your expertise on this. thank you.

[Catherine]

Mary Ann, I don't know about soy milk. Maybe. But definitely not skim. You need some fat to make the cheese. You could try 2% and see how that does.

[6810]

Curdling soy milk makes tofu...

[Vinod]

For some years have been carrying pre-fried paneer from Delhi. Recently tried making it home - some comments:
75-80 deg C gives good results and saves mess making possibilities.
1 litre of 3.2% fat milk can yield 160 gms cheese. Of course it could be less if you squeeze it to long/hard.
I am using citric acid powder - add it slowly till the liquid is a a very pale watery blue.
I am so pleased with the results that I am trying to persuade the local (national) dairy company to take it on as a new product.

[Anusha Mirza]

Thanks for the lovely recipe. I had to scroll through quite a few before deciding on this one. Somehow personal experiences narrated in such a manner are always sellers!!! Have left my curds to hang. I feel I have quite a few though I didn't leave them in the fluid for long enough. I am wondering if the paneer I get will taste like the kind you find in restaurants or grocery shops. Have plans of using it to make palak paneer and ---- I guess the proof of the pudding will be in the eating!!!!!!!

[Krista]

Wow - just tried this for the first time, and it makes lovely paneer :)

Thanks!

[Judith]

I love paneer and tried to make it myself. I thought everything worked very well as it is described, but then at the end the cheese did not stick together it was somehow crumbly, if I can say so for cheese. I don't know what was my mistake and want to ask now, if somebody has an idea. Thank you.

[Catherine]

Judith, To my mind, paneer is sort of a crumbly cheese, which is why it's necessary to smoosh it between plates or books. If yours didn't gel, maybe you didn't leave it long enough? I don't have any other guesses since I don't make paneer often enough and have not had that problem myself.

[spadge]

You can also use the left over whey liquid to water plants with.

[suchi]

hi,
this is a good recipe...i remember my mom teaching me the trick to perfect paneer....its the boiling of milk before adding lemon juice. i loved the way its described...thanx

[slackermom]

I would challenge you to an "Eat Indian Food Till We're Sick Contest" but the nearest Indian restaurant for me is over 200 miles away! I've had to learn my favorites. I'm happy with my Chicken Tikka Masala and my Chana Masala, some basic curry dishes and lately my Naan! I just made paneer yesterday from a similar recipe. It didn't specify whole milk however so I got a bit less than a half cup of cheese from 2 cups of 2 percent milk. (I ended up here trying to find out why I didn't get much cheese.) I will definitely try again with a quart of whole milk because it was so easy and still so good. My recipe called for a quarter teaspoon of lemon juice for two cups of milk but I found I had to drip in a bit more, maybe up to a half teaspoon. I also boiled mine for quite a while and blew on the foam when it would get too high. I kept boiling it cause I wasn't getting a lot of curd, probably cause I didn't have full fat milk. I ended up with something that was almost mozzarella which is very exciting! I can get fresh, unpasteurized whole milk from neighbors so I will try with that, soon! cheers -

[Bill]

Just made paneer for the second time. It's being pressed right now. I came across your site because I needed a reminder as to how it's made. I never knew making cheese was so easy! Anyway for the person who said their paneer was crumbly I suspect they didn't press it with enough weight or long enough. My understanding is that paneer can differ in India depending on how hard the paneer is. Some like to beat or knead the paneer to yield a texture like mozzerella. Thanks for the recipe!