How To Make Paneer

The best way I know to make paneer—the mild Indian cheese used in saag paneer and other dishes—is to have a food blogger you know and trust make it before you do. This way they will work all the kinks out of the system and point out the potholes before you have a chance of falling in one. At least that’s what worked for me.

The first food blog I read was Food Musings, written by the ever charming Catherine. I stumbled upon it quite by accident one day, while reading a newsletter from Media Bistro. Catherine had written in to say that a piece from her food blog had been picked for inclusion by Best Food Writing.

Food blog—what’s a food blog?

I clicked over and fell into this rabbit hole of food and restaurants and culinary adventures. I spent two and a half days reading through the archives of Food Musings (the benefits, and dangers, of working for yourself). I was entranced; who was this character having all the food fun—this woman even made her own paneer!

I was stunned. Make your own cheese—who does that?

A year and a half later, such a thing no longer seems outlandish to me. In the months that have passed I’ve found my place amongst the culinarily obsessed—people who make their own vinegar, cured olives, butter, even French fries in horse fat. And, as of last week, I can now say that I too have made cheese.

A secret: it’s ridiculously easy, and totally fun.

To prep for my first venture into the land of self-made dairy products I did some research. Making cheese is not to be undertaken lightly—this is the stuff of transformation, turning milk into cheese; it’s pretty darn awesome when you think about it.

And yes, it is easy. Not other kinds of cheeses, perhaps. I'm not suggesting you start whipping up batches of roquefort or Humbolt Fog in your kitchen. But paneer, definitely easy.

All you really need is a quantity of whole milk and a small amount of acid. It is possible to make paneer either with lemon juice or with distilled white vinegar (there are also versions that use yogurt, buttermilk, or citric acid). Paneer is similar to the Mexican queso blanco or Italian ricotta, which are made using vinegar; in India, I understand, they mainly use limes. The acid will cause the milk to curdle, the curds are then strained through cheesecloth and pressed into a solid form, et voila—paneer is born!











Of course there are some potholes to avoid. Thanks to Catherine I was able to navigate them with ease. Here are some suggestions for successfull paneer making:

• The milk for paneer must be brought to a boil before the acid is added—this happens very quickly. Suddenly you can have a big foamy mess all over your stove. Use a large pot and be vigilant. I had a trivet on the counter next to the stove so I could whisk the pot off the stovetop at a moment’s notice (thanks, Catherine!).

• Because of the acid, you want to make sure to use a nonreactive pot to boil the milk. Avoid copper or aluminum cookware.

• Some recipes recommend adding a bit of cream to the milk, because American store-bought milk, even whole fat, tends to be not as rich. I didn’t do this, but it would make for a richer, creamier paneer.

• If your whey (the liquid that the curds separate from) is not almost completely clear, add a bit more acid. Also, you can save the whey for making roti.

• If you like, think about pressing the paneer into some sort of shape or mold. I pressed mine into a round, as that seemed the easiest, but the edges tended to crumble. Next time I will use a square or rectangle of some sort (one site I read recommended using a square biscuit tin and drilling holes in the bottom, I’m thinking a square or rectangle shaped Japanese pickle press could also work quite well).

But other than that, really it is a cinch. In under an hour you can have cheese! I don’t know about you, but I think that’s pretty freaking cool.

And, of course, fried up and a bit crispy it makes for a great saag paneer (though your non-foodie friends might think you even odder when you tell them you make your own cheese).





Why does one bother with making their own paneer? In my case it was because the store-bought paneer I found was awful—completely bland and boring (also because the challenge of making cheese was far too cool to pass up). Will I do it again? Absolutely! In addition to feeling like you have some kind of superpower (I made cheese!), the final product is just so yummy—creamy and milky tasting, fresh and delicious.

And the other reason you should let a fellow food blogger walk the cheese-making plank ahead of you? Because they come up with good ideas. Catherine mentioned wanting to try fresh paneer with honey. I took that idea and ran with it, grating some orange zest into warmed honey and drizzling it over paneer topped with toasted almonds. Yeah, that was pretty dang good.



Thanks, Catherine, for the guiding hand. I owe you one.

Catherine’s Paneer Recipe (yields under two cups, next time I'll double it)
Information on paneer from the Aryuvadic perspective
More information on making paneer on India Curry
Paneer recipe on Indian Food Forever

Happy cheese making!