MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Paneer (Fresh Indian Cottage Cheese)
Categories: Cheese, Indian
Yield: 8 Ounces

1/2 ga Whole milk
1/2 c Heavy cream
1/4 c Distilled white vinegar;
- up to 1/3 c more

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Heavy bottomed pot; to boil
- the milk & cream
Wooden spoon or plastic
- spatula; to stir the milk
- while boiling
Cheesecloth/muslin; large
- enough so that it can be
- tied up
Soup strainer/colander
Bowl; to collect the whey
Rubber bands or string;
- to tie the cheesecloth

This recipe can be halved, doubled, or tripled. Please use this
recipe as a basic guideline to make paneer. The timings mentioned in
the recipe will differ on stove settings and milk/cream quality.

Line the strainer with double layer of cheesecloth/muslin. Set it
over the bowl to catch the whey such that there is gap between the
bottom of strainer and the bowl. Keep rubber bands or string nearby.
I recommend setting this up near your sink so that once you have
strained the curds you can hang the cheesecloth on the tap.

Add milk to the pot. Let the milk warm up on medium heat for about 5
to 6 minutes. Once the milk is warm, add the heavy cream to the pot
and bring the whole mixture to a boil. This will take 12 to 15
minutes on medium heat, you will need to intermittently stir the
mixture so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Keep a
close eye because the milk can boil very quickly.

Once the milk has boiled, put off the heat. Wait for 3 to 5 minutes.
Add 1/4 cup of white vinegar to the boiled milk. Immediately you will
see that the milk starts to coagulate and a greenish liquid
separating (this is whey). This green liquid will be clear, if it's
still whitish, you might need to add more vinegar. Add vinegar 1 tb
at a time until you see clear green liquid.

Pour the curdled milk over the strainer lined with cheesecloth. The
whey will collect in the bowl. Tie up the ends of the cheesecloth and
fasten with the help of rubber band/string. Hang this for maximum 5
to 7 minutes so that the liquid drains away. Stop as soon as the
water stops dripping in a continuous string. At this point use you
hands to squeeze the cheesecloth bundle a little bit. Don't apply too
much pressure.

Place the cheesecloth on a plate and keep another plate on top of it
to flatten down to a block. Next keep a heavy weight on top of it. I
fill up my 3 qt stainless tea kettle with water and use it to weigh
down. You could use tomato/bean cans. Keep the curds weighed down for
at least 30 to 45 minutes at room temperature. Drain the liquid that
has collected in the plate and unwrap the cheesecloth to take out the
block.

Carefully, keep the paneer block in refrigerator for at least 24 hours
before cutting through. I find that it much better if I wait up to 36
hours to cut a piece.

Store paneer refrigerated for 4 to 5 days. It could be frozen for up
to 2 weeks.

Tips:

Be sure not to add the vinegar when the milk is boiling and do not
heat the milk once you have added it, else the curds will become
rubbery. See recipe for when to add vinegar.

Do not let too much water drain from the curdled milk once you have
tied it up in the cheese cloth else your paneer will be dry and the
curds will never pull together to form a block.

It is better to cut paneer when the block is cold. Use a sharp knife.

I recommend storing the paneer block in little bit of water, like we
store fresh mozzarella, in the refrigerator. Cut out pieces as you
need.

You could skip addition of heavy cream in this recipe but it does
make a difference in the softness.

Recipe by sanjuri

Recipe FROM: <gopher://sdf.org/0/users/sanjuro/indian-food/
how-to-make-paneer-fresh-indian-cottage-cheese-at-home.txt>

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