As a student in U.S, paneer (a kind of Indian Cheese) is not available in grocery stores. Here is a very easy protocol to make delicious paneer at home and then cook whatever u want with it.
1. Take half gallon of Stoniefiled Organic Whole milk. I like whole milk as the paneer comes out very nice, I have no idea what happens with reduced fat milk.
Ingredients2. Empty the milk in a container and bring the milk to a boil, make sure u keep stirring it frequently as it may get stuck to the bottom of the pan, this will spoil the taste.
Milk Boiling3. When the milk comes to a boil, slowly start adding white vinegar so that the milk curdles. Keep stirring it slowly. For 1/2 gallon 2 - 3 table spoon shld be enough. Do not add too much as it will make the paneer sour. The way I do it, is Iadd a little bit and stir the milk and see if panner comes out. if not add more.
4. After 1 or 2 min you will see the milk curdles and the paneer and water separate. Use a strainer to get rid of excess water. It will take around 1 hr to get rid of the water. Let the paneer be in the strainer for the whole time.
Curdled Paneer5. Paneer is ready. This fresh paneer will be very fresh so it may break easily. What I do is if I have to cook paneer in the evening. I make it in afternoon or a night before and refrigerate it. So it is hard and easy to cut in cubes.
Paneer is readyP.S :
Shape the paneer --- Take the paneer out from strainer and wrap it in a muslin/cheese cloth. Put something heavy and flat on top of the paneer. I usually fill a cooker with water and use it as a weight. You can leave the weight overnight or 5 - 6 hrs. Once done you can make cubes out of it.
NOTE: The water you get from straining, is a good hair conditioner; so do not throw it. Once it cools down you can use it to wash hair.....
