Does anyone make paneer?

catkins

Me and OH eat quite a lot of paneer as we are vegetarian. I find the ones we buy are much crumblier than the paneer you get in an indian restaurant so came to the conclusion they probably make their own

We had our first attempt at making it yesterday and it is not very firm despite leaving it in the fridge overnight. I think when we marinade it in yoghurt and spices it will crumble up.

Does anyone make it and have success with it being firm enough to cut into reasonable pieces and not crumble?

House_owner

Yes I make paneer, and most of the time it is successful.
This is how I do it.
I use 2 pints of whole milk, heat it up slowly in a saucepan, and keeping adding glugs (hope you know what I mean!) of lemon juice, until it begins to separate.
Then I line a sieve with 2 layers of all purpose cleaning cloth (the disposable kind) and drain all the liquid through, just leaving the solids.
Then wrap up in more cloth, put on a plate, then weight it now with a couple of baked bean or tomato tins, and leave in the fridge for at least 8 hours - i normally leave it for longer, e.g. will make it on Monday afternoon, ready to use Tuesday evening.
I don't normally marinate it, instead fry with dry spices, then remove, and add back to the sauce just before serving.

As i say, this works most of the time, but is not 100% successful!

TiredTrophy

We make ours half yogurt....lots of methods on web.

VfM4meplse

House_owner wrote: »

This is how I do it.
I use 2 pints of whole milk, heat it up slowly in a saucepan, and keeping adding glugs (hope you know what I mean!) of lemon juice, until it begins to separate.
Then I line a sieve with 2 layers of all purpose cleaning cloth (the disposable kind) and drain all the liquid through, just leaving the solids.
Then wrap up in more cloth, put on a plate, then weight it now with a couple of baked bean or tomato tins, and leave in the fridge for at least 8 hours

My method is similar, but I don't measure quantities. Use FF milk for best results: bring to the boil and then add vinegar, a tablespoonful at a time on a rolling boil. Keep adding until the whey gets as close to colourless as possible. Turn the heat down and strain as described above. You will get the best results when the whey has been thoroughly squeezed out: muslin cloth works well but even a clean tea towel will do.

ETA: Don't overfry when you cook it, as your paneer cubes will turn into rubber!

JIL

If all else fails, use halloumi instead. I think the best paneer brand is Everest and that always stays firm.

I have made it and as the above posts say it's all about removing as much moisture as possible. Otherwise it does tend to turn into cottage cheese.

VfM4meplse

JIL wrote: »

If all else fails, use halloumi instead.

Halloumi is salty though, paneer is bland.

JIL

VfM4meplse wrote: »

Halloumi is salty though, paneer is bland.

Once it's in a sauce, or covered in spice you really cannot tell. I googled it and apparently it is a common substitute, I tried it and it worked out well.