I turned a $1.25 quart of milk into a $6.19 block of paneer cheese today...ask me anything!

[htuttle]

Ingredients
1 quart full cream dairy milk (I use bog standard 'Vitamin D milk' from a local dairy -- avoid UHT milk, as it messes with the milk proteins)
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions
1. Gently warm the milk over a medium flame. As soon as it starts to boil, add the lemon juice and stir well. The curd will separate from the whey in about five-seven minutes - the curd is the lumpy white mass, the whey is the yellow/greenish liquid. Once the curd has completely separated, drain off the whey, retaining the curd, using a strainer, sieve or cheesecloth. Run some cold water on the curd to cool it down. You may wish to save the whey, as it has some nutritional value and can be used in cooking (I just tossed it...).

2. Remove any remaining whey from the curd by pressing it with the back of a spoon. Using a clean white cotton/muslin cloth (cheesecloth) instead of a sieve is a good idea - if you use cheesecloth instead of a sieve, this pressing of the curd to remove the whey is not required. Tie up the curd in the cheesecloth and hang up the bundle so it can drip for five-six hours. You may want to place a bowl underneath to catch the drips of whey. At this stage we can now refer to the curd as 'paneer'.

3. Gently flatten the paneer, still wrapped up loosely in the cloth, to make a patty shape. Put it on a plate and put a heavy weight on it. Tilt the plate to one side, so that any whey which is squeezed out can drain off. Leave for four or five hours. Cut into cubes of desired size.

Paneer, unlike other cheeses, has not been matured and it is rather bland. If you keep it refrigerated it will last for five to seven days. You can also freeze it for about a month - but once it has defrosted don't freeze it again.

I made paneer pakora (breaded, fried cheese sticks, Indian style) tonight along with a few other things (chicken/cumin/cilantro curry & puri bread). Now I'm stuffed.

:beer:

And a bit drunk...Guinness Extra Stout goes SO well with spicy food.

:beer:

[grasswire]

1. I was just reading about making fresh mozzarella

Just thinking about going to the store for a very fresh gallon of organic milk to try it tomorrow. Oh, and I need rennet.

Thanks for your hints about the paneer.

A gallon of milk will make 3/4 pound of mozzarella.

[sazemisery]

3. Make sure the milk is not ultra-pasteurized

From Cheesemaking.com:

This process really makes the milk unuseable for cheese making due to the high temperature at which it is processed. This process damages the calcium and proteins which are needed to bind the milk proteins and form a curd. All milk processing plants are required to label it as such. If you have a problem with forming a proper curd, we suggest you try talking with your store manager and using a different milk.

All of the organic milk for purchase in my town is ultra-pasteurized. I can drive 40 miles and get raw milk but that would make for some expensive cheese!
Most milk from statewide dairies are not ultra but also not organic.x(

[kestrel91316]

2. I love homemade paneer. It's great Indian-style with peas,

and I need to try it with spinach, too. Saag paneer.