5 Ingredients or Fewer

Home made spicedĀ Paneer

by:
September 27, 2012
4.3
3 Ratings
  • Makes ~ 10 oz block of paneer
Author Notes

Tongle tickling variation on the regular Paneer. You won't find this flavor in any store bought brick! I first tasted this Paneer (Fried into a Pakora) at Chef Vikas Khanna's restaurant Junoon. The flavor induced such an AHA moment and Chef Khanna was gracious enough to mention that the Paneer was made from scratch everyday at the restaurant. Not sure what other spices went into the Junoon Paneer, and quite frankly, I did not ask,I preferring to create my own version. Pepper & coriander were definitely in the cheese. Feel free to adjust the amount of spice to your personal preference —Panfusine

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1/2 gallon Organic whole milk
  • 1/2 cup Fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 20-25 black peppercorns crushed well
  • 2 tablespoons fresh crushed coriander seeds
  • 1/2 cup water
Directions
  1. Moisten a large piece of cheesecloth & set over a mesh strainer. Set the strainer over a large container to contain the whey.
  2. In a large saucepan heat the water and gently pour in the milk (this prevents the milk from scorching at the bottom). Add the salt and the spices. Bring the milk to a boil. Once the 'dome' of milk begins to rise, add the lemon juice and remove from heat. Allow to sit for 10 minutes for the milk to completely curdle.
  3. Pour the curdled mix into the cheesecloth covered strainer. Gather the corners of the cloth & Twist to squeeze out as much whey as you can. Take care, the whey is still scalding hot! Once the whey drains out, give the curds a good stir or else the spice will collect & sink to the bottom
  4. Once most of the whey has been squeezed out and the cheese is cooled down to a point where you can handle it with your bare hands, Gently untwist the cheesecloth andwrap the ball of cheese with the same cloth.
  5. Place a container over the cheese and weigh down with a heavy can until it completely cools. Walk away from the contraption, leave it alone to its own devices for the next 2 hrs!
  6. Gently cover the cheese with a Kitchen towel and wrap completely with Saran wrap. Refrigerate for about 2 hrs or preferably overnight to allow the paneer to solidify.
  7. Cut into cubes and use with your favorite recipes.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • susan g
    susan g
  • hardlikearmour
    hardlikearmour
  • Panfusine
    Panfusine
A biomedical engineer/ neuroscientist by training, currently a mommy blogger on a quest for all things food - Indian Palate, Global perspective!

4 Reviews

susan G. September 27, 2012
I may finally get up the courage of make paneer. You make it sound so straight forward!
Do you have wonderful uses for the whey?
 
Panfusine September 27, 2012
It really is susan g.. I used up the whey to make dough for roti, and some of it like stock for soup (thanks to the salt & spices, it adds a lovely flavor)
 
hardlikearmour September 27, 2012
What a brilliant idea!
 
Panfusine September 27, 2012
Thanks HLA!