The first time I made paneer it was a disaster. So I tried again, and again…and again. This time it was a success! 

Here is a simple recipe to make it at home, but mind you – it takes time. You can prepare it in the morning, and finish it off when you come home from work! 

Paneer is a traditional Indian soft-cheese made by curdling milk with a fruit or vegetable based acid, and is a very high source of milk protein. 

This recipe makes 1 pound of paneer and does take a good part of the day to make as it is all manual. Don’t forget to tag me or send me your recreations if you make this. I would love to share!

Ingredients:

• 1 litre of whole milk
• 3 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 cup of water
• 1 tbsp of cornflour 

Method:

1. Place the milk in a pan to boil
2. Once it has frothed, switch the flame off and let it cool.
3. After the milk has cooled down, skim the top layer of cream that has formed on top of the milk as this won’t curdle
4. Mix the vinegar with the water, and slowly add the mixture to the milk while stirring slowly and continuously. You may not need to add the entire mixture so keep an eye on the milk as it curdles into big lumps. The bigger the lumps, the smoother the paneer.
5. Let the mixture cool down completely before straining it with a muslin cloth.
6. Slowly drain the cooled down milk over a muslin cloth that is wrapped over a strainer and a bowl. Let it sit in the cloth over the strainer for a few minutes – you don’t want to squeeze the water out of the paneer as that will make it hard.
7. Gently tie the edges of the muslin cloth and hang it somewhere to naturally drain the water out of the panner. This will be the part where you leave it for a few hours.
8. Once the water has been drained out of the paneer, untie the cloth and place it over another dry cloth.
9. Gently knead the paneer over the cloth to remove the excess water and to also get that smooth consistency. Do not apply too much pressure.
10. Sprinkle the cornflour over the paneer and gently knead it again to mix it in.
11. Bring the panner together and create a ball, placing it at the center of the dry cloth.
12. Fold the cloth over the panner in the shape of a square, and place a plate over it. With your body weight, gently press on the plate to mould the panner into the square shape of the cloth. Leave the weight on it for 5 minutes before you put the wrapped paneer in the fridge to set.
13. Your paneer is ready! Cut the paneer up into cubes to use!! 

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