Paneer

I want to share my method for making homemade paneer, as a primer for the saag paneer recipe to follow.  Paneer is a fresh, non-aged cheese used in many different Indian dishes.  It can be used for other non-Indian dishes, though, too.  You can find paneer in some grocery stores, and that is often just fine.  But, making it at home is very, very easy, and you can then make it as firm or soft as you need it.  Plus, it's fun, and it will impress your family and friends! 

One gallon of milk is plenty to make enough paneer for a recipe for several people.  The exact yield will vary batch to batch based on a variety of variables.  For paneer, I recommend using 2% or whole milk, but you could use 1%, or a combination of skim and a little heavy cream.  Don't open the carton of milk until you are ready to make the cheese - the fresher the better. 

It appears to be a lot of steps but in fact it's just my long-winded explanations.  Total time start to finish is 3 to 5 hours.
What you need (thorougly cleaned):
1 large pot or saucepan
1 ladle
1 medium-sized mesh strainer
1 square of cheesecloth
1 rubber band
1 medium mixing bowl
1 small plate
heavy things, like large cans of soup, etc.

Homemade Paneer Cheese
1 gallon milk
2 lemons, juiced
1 tsp salt

1. In a saucepan, heat the milk, stirring gently, until just before simmering.  Do not let the milk boil.  Turn off the heat, and stir the milk. 

2. Drizzle in about half of the lemon juice and stir briefly and very gently to distribute the lemon juice.  Let the milk sit for a minute.  The curds and whey should be separating.  If there is a distinct separation and lots of clear whey, no more juice may be needed.  If necessary, add more lemon juice a spoonful at a time until there is a good separation of curds. 

3. Let the milk rest and separate for about 5 minutes.

4. Gently ladle curds into a cheesecloth-lined mesh strainer.  (You can save the whey for other uses if desired.)  Let the curds drain for 10 minutes. 

5. Sprinkle a little salt over the curds.  Lift the edges of the cheesecloth and gather, forming a pouch.  Use the rubber band to suspend the cheesecloth pouch over a bowl or the sink and continue to drain the curds for another 30 minutes.

In the meantime, rig a cheese press:  Suspend a flat-bottomed strainer or collander over a slightly larger bowl with the strainer's handles on the bowl edge, so that the bottom of the strainer does not touch the bottom of the bowl.  Get a flat-bottomed plate that is slightly smaller than the strainer.  On this small plate, pile heavy objects like cans.

6. After the cheese curds have drained for a little while, form the curds, still in the cheesecloth, into a flat, thick disc, and place it inside the strainer portion of the cheese press.  Top the curds with the weighted plate.  The weight presses on the curds, forcing excess whey to drip out through the strainer and into the bottom bowl.  Press the cheese for two to four hours.  The longer you press, the firmer the cheese.

After pressing the cheese to the firmness you want, refrigerate the cheese.  It can be eaten or cooked with right away.  Store it in a well-sealed, clean container, and it will keep for up to a week in the fridge.

Give it a try and let me know how it turned out!

Happy eating!