Paneer (Homemade Indian Cheese)

Unfortunately I prematurely used the funny little pic above in another post. But we can pretend I didn't cause it makes much more sense in this one. :)

I bought cheese cloth about 5 years ago, and it sat on a shelf in my cabinet until a couple weeks ago when I worked up the nerve to make this Paneer. Making cheese just seemed like a daunting task, but after making it, I really couldn't figure out why I was so nervous. It turned out to be really really delicious. Using Paneer, you can make desserts like rasgulla (which btw for any comic fans, always make me want to say ra's al ghul) or something more savory, like a Palak or Mutter Paneer. After this, you'll be brave enough to conquer the most masterful of recipes. I ended up making rasgulla and ras malai and oh yes, it was fantastic! Let's do this!

Ingredients

Cheesecloth

8 cups milk - (I used 2%, but you can use whole milk if you prefer a richer flavor)

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 

Step 1: Bring milk to an almost boil. DO NOT BURN THE MILK. This means you have to watch it almost constantly, and stir occasionally. 

8 cups is a lot of liquid, so make sure you have a large enough pot to boil this without burning yourself. I'd suggest a 4 quart pot if you have one. 

Step 2: Juice enough lemons to make 1/4 cup lemon juice.

Depending on the size of the lemon this is anywhere from 2-3 lemons

 Step 3:  Mix lemon juice in half cup of hot water and put aside

Step 4: As the milk starts to boil, slowly add in the lemon juice and stir the milk gently. .

As the curd starts separating from the whey, remove the pot from the heat.

Step 5: Once you can clearly see the whey separated (i.e., the clear liquid will separate from the chunky bits),

Drape a piece of cheesecloth over a large bowl, and drain the whey into the cloth.

Step 6: Pick up the cloth by the ends and rinse under cold water, and squeeze well.

This process removes the lemony sourness

Step 7: To "form" it into a cheese, and to remove the excess water, place a heavy pan on the cheese while still in the cloth.

This will take about an hour

 And voila!! Homemade cheese, ready to make whatever you'd like to put homemade cheese in :) this will stay fresh in your fridge for a couple of days, so you can make it in advance of whatever dish you are planning.
Note: You'll see there's small tan specks in the cheese below, that's from the milk sticking a bit to the bottom of the pan, Try not to let that happen, but not a huge deal if you get it before it burns. 

Enjoy!!