Paneer is which cheese

Saag paneer — Of course this is first on our list. This blend of savory spices, delicious sauce, finely-chopped spinach and paneer cheese is one of our favorite dishes. Paneer tikka — Paneer tikka uses paneer in place of meat ingredients like chicken.

Cubes of paneer are roasted and then placed in a spicy tomato-based sauce, and this dish is popular both in India and America as a vegetarian alternative to chicken tikka. Paneer pakora — Paneer can be fried on its own or combined with onions, spinach, or chili peppers to create paneer pakora — delicious, bite-sized pieces of cheese fried to tender, melt-in-your-mouth perfection.

Palak paneer — This dish is distinct from saag paneer, and is made from a spinach puree, which is combined with ginger, garam masala, garlic, and a number of other traditional spices. Matar paneer — This dish originates in North India, and consists of peas and paneer stewed in a rich tomato-based sauce, heavily spiced with garam masala.

The History Of Paneer Cheese It may seem surprising that India has an indigenous cheese product when most other Asian countries like China do not — but it makes sense when you consider the strong tradition of raising cattle on the subcontinent, and the presence of other dairy products like ghee and lassi.

Start with whole milk. Pour 64 oz of milk or a whole gallon, if you want into a large pot. Then, bring it to a boil, and turn the heat off as soon as the milk starts boiling. Stir regularly to avoid burning milk on the bottom of the pot. Let the curds sit for about minutes in the pot. Next, line a strainer or colander with two layers of cheesecloth. Dump in the curds, and then rinse them with cold water.

This cools the cheese and helps wash away the excess lemon juice. After this, gather the cheesecloth by the corners, and start squeezing it to remove the excess liquid. 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. Paneer is an easy cheese to make, so much so that it is usually made fresh daily in India. It's also the most common cheese used in south Asian cooking and can appear in several forms, from crumbly and open textured, to a firm, well consolidated cheese for cutting. Paneer is a perfect cheese for vegetarians to use in cooking because it has no rennet used in the production.

It's clean, fresh, and versatile flavor, lends itself well to an assortment of recipes. The flavor lies somewhere between a mild Feta and Halloumi.

It's a little softer than Halloumi and a less crumbly than most Feta. In every sense, it's the perfect cheese to be made quickly in the home kitchen and is great to cook with because it does not melt. Paneer is a soft cheese that changes a gallon of milk into a great cheese for frying or using in a spicy sauce. It is made by simply heating milk to just below boiling, holding for a few minutes while the proteins change,and then adding a small amount of acid to help the proteins and milk sugars to flocculate and settle.

The high heat and acid condition will make a cheese that can be easily sliced for frying, or cubed for spicy sauces, and yet does not melt with the heat. The history of Paneer goes back in time perhaps before written history. The first recorded mention of this cheese was about BC, but it was probably being made long before this. It is believed to have been introduced into India by the invaders from Iran and Afghanistan. The original process was to heat the milk to a temperature just below boiling and then soured milk was added for acid.

Over many years, more palate friendly acids have come into favor; lemon juice, vinegar, citric acid or yogurt have made for a much more flavorful cheese. Because Paneer cheese is made by using acid and heat rather than culture and rennet it is safe for vegetarians to consume and, in fact, Paneer is a cornerstone of Indian vegetarian cuisine. Paneer is soft and it is most often eaten fresh, within a day of the date that it is made. Depending on how the Paneer is processed, it can be firm enough to cut into cubes and fry, or it may be softer and more crumbly.

A common characteristic of the cheese is it's mild character and it is most often made with no salt. The fact that no culture is used in making Paneer presents another important and wonderful characteristic.. The mild, unsalted, and sweet character of this cheese makes it ideal for pairing with the star ingredients of Indian cuisine India is known for the incredible mix of spices that go into curries, fried dishes, etc.

The amazing color, aromatics and flavors of India's spices. Today Paneer has even made a huge move into the fast food world of India and other countries. An unbelievable odd tons are required by the fast food chain every month.

We made this with F vat pasteurized homogenized milk and it worked fine. The recipe is easy and quick to make. It made delicious saag paneer! Close menu menu. Close menu search. Let us know how it turns out! Have A Good Day. Hi Valerie. Thanks for trying this recipe. You may have to make sure the milk and buttermilk are well heated before adding the lemon juice or vinegar. Also try adding the lemon juice a little bit at a time until the milk curdles.

Good luck! Sometimes, ultrapasteurized milks refuse to set up properly. Check your milk — regular pasteurized milk should perform better.

Your Name required. Your E-mail will not be published required. Free meal coupons not valid at Costco. What is Paneer? Where to Buy Paneer Not up for making your own cheese? Popular Paneer Dishes There are a wide variety of meals that include Paneer, especially in Indian culture. Cuisine Indian. Keyword diy, homemade, paneer. Prep Time 5 minutes.

Cook Time 30 minutes. Resting Time 1 hour. Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes. Ingredients 1 gallon milk whole milk equals 3. Instructions In a large pot bring milk to a rolling boil. Stir occasionally to keep the milk from sticking to the bottom.

At this point to keep the paneer from getting stretchy you should stop the cooking process which should be still happening as the pot is still hot. So to bring the temperature of the milk down quickly, add ice and stir. Place a colander in the sink and line it with cheesecloth. Strain curdled milk through cheesecloth. Gather up the corners of the cheese cloth, twist the cloth so that the soft cheese is in the shape of a ball. Squeeze out excess water. If the cheese is not cool enough to handle run the ball shaped cheese through cold water for secs.

Take the cheese ball still wrapped in cheese clotplace it over a chopping board and put a heavy pan or pot over it. I usually use my wrought iron pan and to add more weight I put a few cans of beans on top of it.