How to make Paneer at home | Cottage Cheese

Paneer is a fresh cheese common in South Asia, especially in Indian, Pakistani , Afghan , and Bangladeshi cuisines. It is an unaged, acid-set, non-melting farmer cheese or curd cheese made by curdling heated
milk with lemon juice, vinegar, or any other food
acids . Its crumbly and moist form is called
chhena in eastern India and in Bangladesh .

Today whether it's old or young, everyone loves cheese or paneer to the core! Besides it's quite rich in protein which makes it a win-win situation!
But have you ever thought to make paneer at home? Well, its just too easy to make yet fresh and pure than the store bought paneer.

So let's make it!!!

Ingredients:

• Full Fat Milk, 1 litre
• Vinegar/lemon juice, 1 tblspn
• Cheese cloth or a thin cotton cloth

Method:

• In a vessel, add full fat milk.
• Bring the milk to boil.

• Once it starts boiling, add vinegar or lemon juice.
• Mix slowly.
• Milk will start to curdle, switch ff the flame.

• Let the curdled milk to cool down.
• Take a cheese cloth or a thin cotton cloth and strain the milk.
• The greenish water which you get beside the curdles is called whey.

• Pour little cold water and wash the curdles to remove vinegar or lemon juice smell.
• Tie the cloth somewhere so the excess water is squeezed out.
• When all the water is drained, shape the paneer into square shape and pat it with your hands so its even.

• Fold the cloth again over it, from right to left, left to right and down to up and up to down.
• Put some heavy obejct on it, like a heavy plate or a vessel.

• Leave it for 40 mins.
• Take it out.
• Cut into square shapes.
• And there we go!

                

• Our homemade fresh and pure paneer is ready!
• We can make number of dishes such as Palak Paneer with this multi talented ingredient!
• The whey you get after straining the curldes is very nutrious, do no throw it away, rather use it in making gravies or kneading the chapati dough!