How to make Paneer

Paneer in Marathi

Ingredients:
1/2 Gallon Milk (whole milk)
2 tbsp White Vinegar or Lemon Juice
1 Muslin Cloth (Cheese Cloth)
1 Colander


Method:

1) Take a heavy bottom Pan. Pour Milk in it and heat it on medium flame.
2) You will see milk is hot and steamy, start stirring with spoon. Otherwise, it will stick to bottom of the pan. keep the heat on medium low. First add 1 tbsp Vineger. Do not add all at a time. Swirl and drop all over the milk so that it will get spread everywhere. Stir nicely. Once milk starts curdling, turn off the heat and add remaining Vinegar. Keep stirring. Gradually, water and milk fat content separates.
3) Once milk is curdled, Place and spread a Muslin cloth in colander. Place Colander in a big vessel to store drained water. Pour curdled milk, separate solid Milk Particles and store drained water (Note 3). Wash these particles gently with running cold water, it will help to remove Vinegar's smell. While washing keep these granules in the cloth and let the water drain.
4) Hang milk solid granules for about 30 minutes. Then sqeeze tight to remove exessive water.
5) To make thick slab of Paneer, take a flat surface (eg. Cutting board). Place it into little slanting position. Put sqeezed Paneer cheese (with cloth) over it and place a heavy substance to create pressure on Paneer. This helps to remove water completely from Paneer and then you will get a nice block of Paneer Cheese. If you dont have any heavy substance, fill water in a pressure cooker, close the lid and use it as a weight. Be careful while doing it, otherwise water would spill out.
6) Within 6-7 hours, excessive water drains out and you will get nice Paneer slab to make delicious Paneer recipes.

Note:
1) If you are using cloth which is available at home, try to use very thin cloth and whose weaves are not too tight. If there are tight weaves, water wont drain out properly.
2) If you are using Lemon Juice to curdle milk, add little water to it and add this mixture slowly to hot milk. Do not overuse it, otherwise Paneer might get Lemony sour flavor.
3) Store this drained water in a Glass airtight container and refrigerate it. If you are going to make Paneer within a week, use it as Vinegar or Lemon Juice to curdle milk.