How to make Paneer (Indian Cheese)

Some of you have been asking for this recipe for a while. Finally I am getting to it...

Fresh Paneer is a cross between cheese and cottage cheese. It can be used by itself or in dishes. Make sure to use organic dairy ingredients. If you plan to use any sour dairy ingredient in place of the lemon juice (like yogurt, kefir, buttermilk or even sour cream), make sure that it's at the room temperature.

Paneer - Home Style Indian Cheese

10 cups of milk

5 Tbsp of lemon juice or 1.5 cup of yogurt or 2.5 cups of buttermilk

Bring milk in a boil in a very large pot. Meanwhile get a strainer ready: line it up with 2 layers of cheese cloth, place it over a large pot. When the milk starts to rise, add the lemon juice (yogurt, or buttermilk). You'll see the separation right away. Curds will separate from the clear yellowish-green liquid. Remove the pot from the heat. If the liquid is not clear, return to the heat and add more lemon juice (acid). Do not overcook or the texture will be ruined. Unfortunately, the milk that we buy in the stores is processed. Which prevents it from forming the curds. If that is the case, then before draining, leave the mix for a couple of hours, until all the curds rise up to the surface, creating a firm cheesy layer.

Now you can make the cheese:

Drain the mix into the strainer and place it under press. The longer it sits, the harder it becomes.

If you need cottage cheese consistency, simply drain and squeeze all the liquid.

You'll get about 350 grams of Paneer.