Homemade Paneer is not only great in flavor & texture but also free of any additional preservatives. So I prefer to make my own homemade Paneer. Moreover, you can also choose which milk to use for making homemade Paneer. If you are vegetarian and an Indian, then this is one food item you cannot avoid or cannot live without. I make paneer almost every alternate day or after 2-3 days. The flavor of paneer is so simple that you can include it in any curry you like. (Check out my awesome paneer recipes.) With Paneer, making food is really simple for me. If there is anything special (like a Birthday, or Anniversary, or Dinner), Paneer is always the center point of the menu. Sometimes when I can’t decide what to make, then I end up making something with paneer. If I want something simple but tasty, then also Paneer is the winner. I haven’t seen anyone who doesn’t like Paneer. Either Vegetarian or Non-Vegetarian, everyone loves Paneer dishes like Palak Paneer, Kadai Paneer, Matar Paneer, etc. You can make any other type of Cheese in an Instant Pot. If you want to check the recipe for Mozzarella Cheese, CLICK HERE. Paneer is Indian Cottage Cheese made of milk curdled using food acid (like lemon juice, vinegar, curd, etc). Homemade Paneer is:
Unsalted Not fermented or processed Soft & firm Doesn’t require any Rennet (animal or plant-based) Vegetarian Protein-Rich
MILK: It’s best to use Whole Milk. Whole Milk Paneer results in a more soft texture. If you use 2% or any other low-fat milk, then it’ll result in a small quantity of paneer and also texture won’t be that good. FOOD ACIDS: You can use vinegar, lemon juice, curd, buttermilk, or citric acid as food acids. They will help in curdling the milk and leaving coagulated milk solids. I have personally used vinegar and lemon juice for making paneer. But I heard people use other forms of food acids too. ICE CUBES: Not many use ice cubes for making paneer. But adding ice cubes after milk is curdled will result in softer paneer and also helps in stopping the cooking process. It will be softer and firm and you can mold it in any shape you like. MUSLIN CLOTH: Once the milk is curdled and you get coagulated milk solids. Then you need Muslin Cloth to separate coagulated milk solids from the whey and to remove any excess liquid. WEIGHT: Once all the liquid is removed by squeezing the muslin cloth, put paneer wrapped in the muslin cloth on a plate. Add some extra weight on it, so that all the remaining water will be removed (if left).
If you want to know how to make soft paneer at home, then here’s the secret. Use full cream or whole milk. This will yield in softer pieces. If you use toned or skimmed milk, Paneer will be less in quantity and will not be that soft in texture. You can use vinegar, lemon juice, curd, buttermilk, citric acid, etc to curdle the milk. After the milk is curdled and you see coagulated milk solid, don’t forget to wash in water. This will remove the flavor of food acids (if any) from the paneer. Otherwise, if you don’t wash it properly, later you might find paneer tangy and it won’t go so great in the curries. Once you see milk is crudled, add some ice cubes in it. This will not only stop the cooking process but also will make paneer soft. Make sure all the whey is removed properly before you keep it for settling. I always hang my paneer for at least 30 minutes, so that all the whey is drained out. Don’t overcook or over boil the milk otherwise, paneer will turn out hard. When making in stove-top, add food acids once the milk has come to boil. That way you’ll get nice & soft paneer cubes. Once paneer has settled, you can store in the refrigerator. Place the paneer in a bowl and cover it with water. This way it will not become hard.
The greenish colored liquid that you see after milk is curdled is Whey. It s filled with essential nutrients & proteins. You can use it in any recipe that requires liquid. I use Whey in making Roti/ Chapatti dough, for boiling lentils, etc. This liquid will be a little tangy because of the presence of food acids in it, so do adjust the flavors by keeping this in mind. Store in the refrigerator for a week and use as needed.
Boiling:
Straining:
Once your homemade paneer is settled, you can store Paneer in the refrigerator and cut it into pieces when needed. Or sometimes when I want Paneer to be very soft, I store in a bowl filled with water. You can store in a refrigerator for up to 1 week but keep changing the water.
PANEER TIKKA KADAI PANEER ACHAARI PANEER PALAK PANEER MATAR PANEER BUTTER PANEER SHAHI PANEER PANEER TIKKA MASALA
📖 RECIPE CARD
