Homemade Paneer | Soft & Fresh Low Fat Recipe
Step by step preparation with pictures and a detailed video of homemade fresh paneer or Indian cottage cheese with toned milk. The process is so easy and the taste much better than the market bought.
Ingredients
- 1.5 Litre raw milk (Toned)
- ½ tsp citric acid
Instructions
- First, boil the raw milk. Use a wide pan to boil milk as it will be easier to curdle the milk.
- Once the milk is boiled, switch off the flame and let it cool for 5-7 minutes.
- Take a small bowl, add a little warm water and citric acid. mix it till it dissolves completely in the water.
- Now, add this mixture gradually to the boiled milk and stir continuously till the milk curdled completely. when the liquid colour changes from yellow to light green it means the milk is fully curdled and separated the whey.
- Once the milk curdled, do not leave it in the water for a long time.
- Take a strainer and lined it with a cheesecloth or fine cotton cloth and separate the whey from the solid part.
- Wash the curdled milk with water to remove the tartness of the citric acid.
- Leave it aside for 3-4 minutes till extra water strain out.
- Now, put a big plate and transfer the milk solids with cheesecloth over it and give a shape of a square or round and cover with another plate.
- Put a weight over it and leave it for at least 1.5-2 hours.
- Once the paneer is set, remove it from the cheesecloth and transfer it to a container. Fill enough water to cover the paneer. close the lid and put it in the refrigerator.
- It stays best for up to 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
- When you are ready to make any paneer dish take out the paneer from the refrigerator and remove water. Cut into the desired shape, make your favourite paneer recipe and enjoy!
Video
Notes
1. Use raw milk and boil it then start the curdling process. Do not use previous boiled and cooled milk for making paneer.
2. After the milk is boiled give a rest of 5-7 minutes and then add the curdling agent a little at a time and stir, otherwise, paneer becomes hard and chewy.
3. You can use either citric acid, vinegar, curd or lemon juice for curding. dissolve them first in little plain water add gradually add in the milk and stir.
4.Use a cheesecloth or a fine cotton cloth to separate liquid from the curdled milk. do not leave it in the strainer for longer than 3-4 minutes otherwise, it becomes hard and difficult to give it a perfect shape.
5.To set the paneer, shape it and put a weight on it. leave it for at least 1-2 hours.
6.once the paneer is set, remove the cheesecloth and transfer it to a container. Fill it with enough water to cover the paneer and put it in the refrigerator.
7. you can freeze the paneer but its texture becomes a little crumbly after defrosting.