Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Easy to make and a good meat substitue . Rich in Protein |
| Disadvantages: |
Nothing much . |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
Yummeeee!!!
Introduction:
Paneer is the most famous Indian Cheese that is quite versatile and so easy to make. Paneer is in fact synonymous with South Asian cheese and is a strong favourate amongst the largely vegetarian Hindu population. The use of Paneer in vegetarian cuisine is sometimes seen as a symbol of affluence.
History:
There is the assumption that Paneer was largely brought into the north Indian region by the Persians and that it originated in erstwhile Persia. This may or may not be true.
Types:
There are generally two types of Paneer, the soft and more Popular variety and the hard Paneer which is mostly used by the Bengali's.
Paneer is the most popular name for this cheese but in some parts of East India it is known by the name Channa.
Nutritional Value:
Paneer has no added salt.
Also a rich source of protein.
How to make it:
This is a very simple recipe and nine out of ten times you are sure to get the desired results.
What you need
Milk
Lime
Cheese cloth or Muslin cloth
Sieve
Vessels for preparation.
Here goes.: Bring the required amount of milk to boil. May be use 2-3 pints in the first instance. As the milk begins to boil add the lime juice, stirring all the time.Reduce the heat and continue stirring. You will begin to see curds forming and then getting bigger. If the curds dont get any bigger or if only very few curds are forming add a little more lime juice. Once the curds have formed turn off the heat and allow to stand for about 5 more minutes.
Next lay the clean muslin cloth over a sieve and place the sieve over a vessel that would collect the residual fluid. Now pour the contents into the sieve. You can throw away the fluid collected underneath and then tie up the muslin cloth. Hang it in a suitable place to allow the remaining fluid to drain off. Be sure to keep a vessel underneath to catch the drip. After about half an hour you can try to squeeze out any remaining fluid by twisting the muslin cloth. Remove the tie and tie it once again more tightly. Let this remain for another half an hour. Once you open it you will find your ball of paneer. This if dipped in ice cold water or kept in the refrigerator for a couple of hours would complete the preparation.
This can then be cut into cubes or whatever shapes you like and made into curries.
( THE RECIPE GIVEN ABOVE IS THE RESULT OF RESEARCH THROUGH VARIOUS SOURCES INCLUDING HEARSAY, TRADITIONAL COOKBOOKS AND WEBSITES; I SIMPLIFIED THE PROCESS TO SUIT ME AND THE ABOVE WORKS WELL FOR ME. DIFFRERENT SOURCES MAY GIVE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT VERSIONS ON HOW TO MAKE IT--JUST CHOOSE THE RIGHT ONE FOR YOU DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH TROUBLE YOU WANT TO GO INTO)
Variety of Dishes:
1* Paneer's most popular presence is in Mughlai cooking. The most famous Mughlai dish with paneer is Palak Paneer. Here it is used along with Spinach.
A different variety is the mattar paneer where you use peas instead of spinach.
2* I've used paneer as a meat substitue in many non Indian dishes and they come out quite well too. So I gather its worth experimenting.
One firm favourite is not dip and fry them. Tastes gorgeous.
(THE RECIPES FOR VARIOUS DISHES ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE)
Availabilty:
Dont think you have to go through the hassle of making it to eat it. Paneer is freely available in most Indian/South Asian food stores. I am not quite sure about the Big supermarkets, but its worth asking.
Finally I would advice anyone who hasn't tried Paneer to give it a go.
