Home Made Paneer

Home made paneer is very easy to make and is much nicer than the shop bought variety, which can be rubbery. Try making it in the morning so it's ready to cook in the evening!

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   1. Place the muslin cloth over a sieve and then place this over a glass/heat-proof bowl.
   
   2. Pour the milk in a large heavy based pan and bring to the boil. When the milk is starting to boil, add half the yoghurt.
   
   3. Keep stirring for about a minute or two. The milk should start to curdle and separate into curds and whey.
   
   4. The curds should have the consistency of cottage cheese and the whey should look very watery and yellow. If the whey is still white, the milk has not fully separated. Keep adding more yoghurt a couple of tablespoons at at time and keep stirring until you get this consistency. It should take 7-8 minutes.
   
   5. Now pour the mixture over the muslin/cheese cloth. The whey will fall through and you will be left with the curds (paneer).
   
   6. Bring together the corners of the muslin/cheese cloth and then squeeze really really well to get out more whey. You can either discard the whey in the bowl or use it as a stock in curries, casseroles or stews.
   
   7. Now allow the paneer to drain some more. You can rest it over the kitchen tap, but the best way is really by shaping it into a rectangle (whilst still in the muslin/cheese cloth) and then resting over an upside down colander which has been placed in a bowl, and then putting a weight on top of the paneer (such as your fruit bowl or the bowl of whey).
   
   8. After about 4 hours, put the paneer in the fridge for a couple of hours to harden some more.
   
   9. Remove from the cloth. This can now be used straight away, or it can be stored in the fridge in fresh water for about a week, or even frozen (defrost before use).