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Farm Kitchen:  Indian paneer (& recipe)  |
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bsvgs
Farmgirl at Heart
8 Posts
Nica
Big Bend
WV
USA
8 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 06 2009 : 4:59:49 PM
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Have been just looking up paneer (Indian cheese) recipes. I've made this in the past, & it's a great casserole addition. Here's one basic recipe I found:
Ingredients
-- 1 L or quart of 3.8% whole cow milk (Note: For a lowfat variety, I found that making milk itself w/ the dry packet type works just fine)
-- 3-4 tbsp of an acid; lemon juice is used in this example but you can substitute with lime juice, vinegar, or leftover whey from a previous batch of paneer
Steps
1. Bring the milk to a temperature just below the boil then turn off the heat.
2. Add lemon juice, one teaspoon) at a time, and keep stirring the milk after each addition, until the milk separates; the solid curds will separate from the green watery whey.
3. Allow the curds and whey to cool for a half hour (or until still warm, but at a temperature you can handle), then strain through cheesecloth (or coffee filter) in a strainer.
You may wish to save some or all of the whey; it can be used to make your next batch of paneer, producing a slightly more tender cheese than lemon juice.
Rinse the curds with fresh water.
4. Wrap the cheese cloth on itself in order to squeeze out moisture from the curds. The more you squeeze, the firmer the resulting paneer.
5. Shape the paneer, still in the cheese cloth, into a block, wrapping it tightly with the cloth. By putting a cutting board or something heavy and flat on top of the paneer, you can force out more moisture, and make it into a firmer block, suitable for slicing and frying. To get a more rectangular shape, tie a knot and place the cheese cloth bundle in a box without closing it. Place something heavy like a pile of books or a brick on the cheese cloth to press down and give the cheese the box's shape. The longer you press the cheese, the firmer it gets.
Not all Indian dishes requires cheese to be made into solid blocks. Stuffed Paneer Naans for example require cheese to be loose.
6. Soak the block of cheese in chilled water for 2-3 hours. This is optional, as the intention is to improve appearance and texture.
7. Use as directed in your recipe.
Since paneer has a firmer texture than tofu, it really can be a meat substitute. And since it uses no animal products, it's okay even for vegans.
Among my favorites are Matar Paneer (with peas) & Paneer w/ Tomato Chunks (sorry, don't know the real name of this one). Perhaps the most popular is w/ ground-up spinach (Palak Paneer).
Hope someone finds this as tasty as I do!
Nica
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sharikrsna
True Blue Farmgirl
185 Posts
Shari
Carthage
Illinois
USA
185 Posts |
Posted - Jun 07 2009 : 08:10:57 AM
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| gotta love Indian food! |
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one_dog_per_acre
True Blue Farmgirl
1572 Posts
Trish
Sandpoint
ID
USA
1572 Posts |
Posted - Jun 07 2009 : 09:21:28 AM
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no kidding! Indian food is what I miss most about the city. Nothing soothes my soul like some naan, chicken makhani, and dal.
If anyone knows of Indian food in Coeur d'Alene, PLEASE let me know. I have looked on the internet and have not located a restaurant there.
Trish
Make cupcakes not war!
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MissDotty
Farmgirl in Training
49 Posts
Anna
Coralville
IA
USA
49 Posts |
Posted - Jun 07 2009 : 6:34:45 PM
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| Not to be a downer, but milk is an animal product. Vegans do not consume dairy, paneer is okay for some vegetarians (many vegetarians also don't consume dairy, either) but is not vegan. |
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Farm Kitchen: Indian paneer (& recipe) |
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Indian paneer (& recipe)
