Making your own paneer to use in your favorite Indian dishes is simple. You only need milk, lemon juice, salt, and a thermometer to make your own paneer.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 20 mins |
| Additional Time: | 2 hrs |
| Total Time: | 2 hrs 30 mins |
| Servings: | 16 |
| Yield: | 28 ounces paneer |
Ingredients
- 4 quarts whole milk
- ½ teaspoon sea salt (Optional)
- ½ cup lemon juice
Instructions
- Line a colander with a damp piece of muslin or cheesecloth and set in the sink or over a bowl.
- Pour milk into a large saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat to 200 degrees F (93 degrees C). Stir well and add salt. Pour in lemon juice gradually, 1 tablespoon at a time. Stir until curds separate.
- Ladle curds into the muslin-lined colander. Fold muslin over curds and place a weight on top (such as a bowl filled with water). Press lightly and let drain for 2 to 3 hours.
- You can use lime juice instead of lemon juice.
Reviews
This is exactly the same thing as Ricotta. I make both. The lemon juice as acid works very well. Get one of those big thermometers as for making jam or candy; it just makes it easier to watch the temp.
Pretty easy to do though a bit time consuming relatively to buying paneer from the store. I made it to use in palak paneer and it all turned out great!
I have wanted to try making paneer, and I came across this recipe. It really was easy, although time-consuming because of heating a whole gallon of milk at a fairly low temperature . It turned out well and has a good taste, faintly lemony. I did use fresh lemons in it. I might add a full teaspoon of salt the next time. My only complaint with the recipe is that it does not state when to remove the milk from the heat. I turned off the stove when I started to add the lemon juice, and it seemed to work fine. I didn’t know what to expect with the curds, but they were very small. After taking some time trying to scoop them up with a slotted spoon, I ended up pouring the rest into a large wire strainer, which expedited the process and probably removed more water than the spoon would have. I let it set for about 2 hours, and it was firm and could be sliced with a sharp knife.