9/20/2020 Paneer Cheese Recipe | Make Cheese | Cheese Making Supply

Paneer Cheese Making Recipe

This is an easy cheese to make, so much so that it is usually
made fresh daily in India. Paneer is the most common cheese
used in south Asian cooking and can appear in several formats,
from crumbly and open textured, to a firm, well consolidated
cheese for cutting. It is a perfect cheese for vegetarians to use in
cooking because it has no rennet used in the production.Paneer
is the most common cheese used in India's kitchens because of
its clean, fresh, and versatile flavor, which lends itself well to an
assortment of recipes.

YIELD AGING SKILL LEVEL AUTHOR

1 pound time none beginner Jim Wallace

Ingredients Equipment
1 Gallon of Milk (not Good Thermometer
ultra-pasteurized)
Measuring Cup &
1 tsp Citric Acid Spoons
Salt (optional) Spoon or ladle to Stir
Curds
Large Colander
Butter Muslin
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1 Heat Milk

Buffalo milk was most traditionally used for this with its butterfat
content of about 6%, but whole milk in the 3 - 4.5% range is
commonly used today and much more readily available.
A low fat version using skim milk has been produced but has
developed a reputation for being chewy and rubbery.
The milk used should be as fresh as possible; even cold stored milk
has enzymes working at the cold temperatures to break down the
proteins and compromise the milks flavor and ability to form a good
cheese.
Begin by heating 1 gallon of fresh milk to 185-194F (85-90C). You
can best do this by placing the pot with milk into a sink of very
warm water. If you do this in a pot on the stove make sure you heat
the milk slowly and stir it well as it heats.
Once the milk has reached the correct temperature, continue to
hold the milk at this temperature for about 20-30 minutes. This will
prepare the milk proteins to respond well to the acid addition in the
next step.

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2 Add Citric Acid

Add 1tsp of citric acid to 16oz of 170F water. This is a very diluted
acid of about 2%. This will be about the same temperature that we
will be cooling the milk to.
Before adding the diluted citric acid, allow the milk to cool to 170F.
This is a more protein friendly temperature and allows the acid to
easily mix into the milk before the proteins begin to coagulate. The
result will be a more even curd development.

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Once cooled to 170F, slowly add the diluted citric acid to the milk
while gently stiring. This will begin separating the milk solids from
liquid. Continue the slow stir until you see a separation of white
curd and a yellow green whey, milk with a high fat content may have
a cloudy whey.
When you see a nice separation, shown in the above photo, stop
stirring. The pot can now sit quiet for 20 minutes.
While waiting, line a steralized colander with butter muslin in
preparation for drainign the curds.
Note: You can place the colander inside a large bowl to collect the
whey for other uses, even if it's just for the garden or compost pile.

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3 Drain Curds

The curds can now be transferred to the colander lined with butter
muslin. Begin by ladling the whey from the surface into the lined
colander. Once the whey has been partially removed, the remaining
curd can be poured into the drain cloth.
The curd should be allowed to drain for 30 minutes, a gentle stir half
way through will help the to whey drain.

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4 Press Curds

Once the curd has drained for 30 minutes, the cloth can be pulled up
and tied into a ball. Make sure the cloth is pulled tightly around the
curd mass. Then place a plate or lid over the curd. Place about 1-2
gallons of warm water into a pot and set it ontop of the plate, as
shown above, this is a quick and easy "cheese press." Press the curd
for 10 to 15 minutes. The amount of weight and time for pressing
will depend on how dry and compact you want your final Paneer to
be.
If you saved the whey, it contains a lot of flavor and nutrients and is
great to use in stocks and soups, some folks have found it to be very
tasty when cooled for just drinking. Taste it and see. If nothing else
take it to the garden or compost pile.

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5 Finished Cheese

Fresh Paneer won't last long in the fridge and should be used within
a few days. Many people think that because the milk has been

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heated to such a high temperature, that it's stable for long term
storage, this is not true.
The problems with storing this cheese are two fold:
It contains a high level of lactose that will fuel any bacteria that
it is exposed to during the post process.
Tests have found that the ambient bacteria that it is exposed
to (not traditional dairy bacteria, so not good) will multiply
several thousand times within a week.
It can be stored at fridge temperature for 4-7 days with no salting
and for 10 days to 2 weeks if lightly salted (2%) and packed in an air
tight container.
When pressed the cheese will be firm and compact and once chilled
it can be easily cut and cooked or fried. Traditionally, Paneer is made
fresh and used within a day.
In making your own Paneer, you have control over how you want to
use the cheese. The curd can be drained for a soft, crumbly cheese
or lightly pressed for a firm slicing and grilling cheese.
By changing the cream content of the milk, the type of acid and the
draining method, you can make a wide variety of cheeses.
Fresh Paneer that hasn't been pressed very long tends to be more
crumbly and is best for sauces.
Firm Paneer can be sautéed, seared, or grilled, and still retain both
it's shape and texture.

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