Today we will be making (homemade) Paneer out of full-fat milk. The ingredients we need are fewer, but the process is lengthy.
Okay, let me tell you we are making flavoured Paneer. I mean black pepper paneer. So what is the difference between homemade & dairy Paneer? Let’s take a look.
The only difference is the flavour, the black pepper. Rest everything is pretty much the same. However, I have made slight adjustments to bring out soft & flavourful Paneer.
The Paneer you buy from local dairy or superstores is white & has no taste. Additionally, there’s no aroma in it. It is manufactured that way commercially.
The homemade black pepper paneer is naturally flavoured. It has a mild aroma & it’s soft as well. See, I don’t mean to say that readymade paneer is not soft. Panner is soft and immaterial whether homemade or bought from the store.
However, adding one spoon of Ghee in the making process makes the Paneer extra soft.
As I said above, we need only five items to get a soft Paneer. Here they are.
The ingredient list ends here, but there’s still something I need you to know. Apart from the above items, we need other things. Below is the list of all those items.
Both muslin cloth & sieve are necessary to collect the curdled milk solids. Bowl is to collect the whey water that you can use later on in cooking. Keep these items ready once you gather the ingredients.
We all know how & in what ways Paneer is used in Indian recipes. If I were to say it in one word, it would be infinite. There are unimaginable culinary uses of Paneer.
Not only the main course, but Paneer is also a dessert ingredient. Yes, you can make sweets from homemade cottage cheese. I have listed some of my tried & tested paneer recipes below. Take a look.
Paneer Breakfast, Snacks & Starters
Paneer Bhurji, Paneer Masala Idli, Paneer Burger Patty, Paneer Pakoda, Palak Paneer Cheese Dosa, Paneer Nuggets, Paneer Tikka.
Main Course Paneer Recipes
Matar Paneer, Chole Paneer, Paneer Ghotala, Shahi Paneer, Paneer Lababdar, Achari Paneer, Paneer Makhanwala, Hariyali Paneer Masala, Malai Methi Paneer, Paneer Butter Masala (without onion & garlic).
Paneer Desserts
Paneer Kheer (one of my favourites), Paneer Halwa, Paneer Mawa Cake (this one too), and Paneer Kalakand.
Go through the below-mentioned faqs before you begin making Paneer.
You can, but it is not recommended. Black pepper forms a nice dotted texture on white Paneer. White pepper will vanish in Paneer. The taste will be the same, but then the look will differ.
Yes, you can make Paneer out of cow milk too. However, the quantity aka yield will be less compared to full-fat milk. If you are okay with it, then go ahead.
Asafoetida, aka hing, is to decrease the raw smell of milk. However, if you are not okay with adding hing, then skip.
You can do that. Moreover, vinegar gives more yield than lemon juice. The curdling process is also faster comparatively.
No. Use plain white vinegar. Apple cider vinegar, aka cider vinegar, is made using fermented apple juice. Hence, it has an apple flavour in it. Using flavoured vinegar may hinder the process & spoil the taste of your Paneer.
Yes, you can use yoghurt, curd or even citric acid instead of lemon juice. But use them only if lemon juice is unavailable. It’s natural & fresh.
Hence, the making of paneer at home concludes here. I hope you liked it. Give your suggestion in the comment box. See you in the following recipe.