15 down, 11 to go!
“P” is for PANEER
Dating as far back as 6000 BC, paneer is a fresh cheese used in South Asian cuisine similar to queso blanco (oh, look, I gave away tomorrow’s cheese!). Moist and soft, and crumbly in texture, it is a rich source of milk protein.
The use of paneer is more common in Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh due to the prominence of milk in their cuisine. It is sometimes wrapped in dough and deep-fried or served with either spinach (saag paneer) or peas (mutter paneer). One of my favorite restaurants locally is India, and they feature paneer kabobs as well as a grilled paneer wrap.
You want to make your own? Easy! All you need is a half-gallon of whole milk, a quarter-cup of lemon juice or vinegar, and a bit of salt to season. Heat the milk until it’s foamy, then take it off the heat. Add the lemon juice and the milk will curdle. Let it stand about 10 minutes until you have curds and whey, Miss Muffet, then strain the curds from the whey with a cheesecloth. Now you have paneer in its most simple form. There are instructional videos available online if you really want to learn the process.
kripyā bhojan kā ānnaṅd lijīyai!
As I was reading, I passed over the words “curds and whey.” When I turned my head to grab another spoonful of Captain Crunch (woo-woo), I instantly thought Miss Muffet. When I turned back to your post, there she was! As with the cheese and “Man of La Manche,” Martha is one step ahead of “Us!” Good job!
Thanks, ZD. Cap’n Crunch?? You health nut. 😉
This looks like the mozzarella we make at home. When I was in Turkey, there were a lot of white cheeses with this look and texture. Would paneer have possibly been one of those, I wonder, or is there a Turkish version of it?
Probably a Turkish version, Lynda. Seems there are quite a lot of these fresh, unripened cheeses in Asia/Middle East.
I love Asian food and cooking, but I haven’t previously heard of this cheese. Thank you for the recipe to make our own. I’ll have to try it some time. 🙂
Thanks, Chris. If there’s an Indian restaurant near you, I’m sure you can find some paneer on the menu!
Oh, my! Got to try this! Thanks for the recipe! Great, great series, Martha!
Thank you, Sharon! xx
Ooooh, this looks lovely and simple to make! I’ve never liked drinking milk, and I suspect I’m slightly lactose intolerant, but cheese has never bothered me quite as much. I used to think I didn’t like cheese, but I eventually narrowed down that I really don’t care that much for cheddar cheese and it was all my mom bought when I was a kid.
Now that I’ve found the world of non-cheddar cheeses? I can’t get enough of them!
But I can’t buy whole milk in anything less than a gallon around here, and I never use an entire gallon before it goes bad. So, I may be trying this cheese soon, especially since I can use vinegar (which I always have on hand) rather than rennet!
Or if you know an Indian r estaurant near you, try it there, Rebekah. Either way, thank you for stopping by! 🙂
Without looking it up, I’d say that is very similar to making ricotta, which is a wonderful cheese to use in Italian cheesecake.
I agree, Denise