Non-Fat Paneer

"I just love the aromatics and flavors of Indian food. Unfortunately, many establishments prepare dishes with generous amounts of ghee or clarified butter, an unwelcome addition for those who are watching their caloric or cholesterol intake. Not wanting to give up the lovely flavors, I’ve begun to delve into recipes that allow me to prepare my favorite dishes at home. Paneer is easy to prepare and is a staple in many Indian dishes, especially vegetarian entrees and appetizers."
 
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photo by karen photo by karen
photo by karen
Ready In:
35mins
Ingredients:
2
Serves:
5
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ingredients

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directions

  • Place a large strainer lined with a cheese cloth in a large bowl. If you don’t have cheese cloth a brand new HandiWipe also works well but it tears a bit more easily.
  • Use a low to medium heat to slowly bring the milk to boil in a large saucepan.
  • Add the lemon juice and begin stirring the milk. The milk will begin to curdle and the cheesy lumps will begin to sink to the bottom of the pan.
  • Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to stand for about five minutes. Pour the curdled milk into the strainer. Use the cheese cloth to begin to shaping the paneer cheese into a ball.
  • Fold the cheese cloth over the ball of cheese and place on a flat surface. Place a heavily weighted pan or a cast iron skillet on the cheese for 20 minutes to drain out any of the remaining liquid (whey). If you like, you can press on it a bit to make sure you are running the excess liquid out of the cheese.
  • The paneer is now ready to be used in your favorite dishes.

Questions & Replies

  1. What do you do with the whey? Can whey from skim milk be used like other whey?
     
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Reviews

  1. I used 2% organic milk and got a 2" sphere of paneer. I've used vinegar for lemon juice; they both work. I prefer my paneer to be spreadable, so I've learned not to squeeze out EVERY bit of whey. It doesn't melt, so it doesn't do well in macaroni-and-cheese or in chicken florentine (tasty, but not like the usual). Very tasty stuff, and the only cheese I can eat (without those dairy consequences) right now!
     
  2. This worked perfectly. I did a half recipe and it made maybe 4 ounces of cheese, which was a good amount for the dish I needed. Very tasty and easy to do. Will definitely use again! Note: this will be loose and wet at first. I wrapped my cheesecloth around it and twisted at the top, forming the paneer into a ball and squeezing more whey out. Then I let it cool inside the cheesecloth and it came out a nice little ball, perfect to slice.
     
  3. COOL! I never would have imagined making my own paneer but I decided to go for it. My husbands favorite Indian dish is Mattar Paneer which uses this. I followed the recipe exactly and it really wasn't that hard. The only thing was that the recipe I used it in said to brown the cheese in oil and that made it rubbery...so I wouldn't recommend doing that. Made for Cookbooks tag.
     
  4. I made cheese!! It did not make a very big "piece", but I am just thrilled that I made cheese! I am very picky about not liking "cottage" style cheese, this was not like that! It was a "ball" of cheese.And I liked the smooth flavor. Thanks Toni, I will do this again, and maybe "play" with flavoring it some.
     
  5. Wow! I just made cheese for the first time! I was really nervous about trying this, but it was surprisingly easy. I did use 2% milk, but next time I would go ahead and try it with the skim. I also made a half recipe, and was surprised at how little cheese this made (about the size of a tangerine). Maybe I cooked the milk at too low a heat and it cooked off too much of the liquid. Regardless, it has good flavor both by iteself and cooked. I threw a little into my Recipe #204853 and it absorbed the flavors really well.
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<p>I come from a long line of wonderful cooks and doing my best to hold up that tradition. My great-grandparents owned a coffee shop; my Nana was also a great cook and started the tradition of baking around the holidays, both cookies and fruitcakes. After she died, now a decade ago, our family decided to continue in her honor. The picture above is my mother's (Chef Hot Pans) dining room table just before we packed up our Christmas cookie trays. More that 20 kinds of cookies, many of which are from 'Zaar recipes. <br /> <br />I myself am an amateur cook with a penchant for ethnic foods and spice. Currently reforming my menu in favor of healthy dishes lower in fat with lots of grains and vegetables. My favorite cuisines are Mexican, Southwestern and North African. <br /> <br /> <br />Some of my favorite public cookbooks include:</p> <li>ladypit's <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/mycookbook/book/33588> WW Core Recipes I Have Tried </a> </li> <p>&nbsp;</p> <li>shirl(j)831's <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/mycookbook/book/34888> Can this really be lowfat??? </a> </li> <p>&nbsp;</p> <li>julesong's <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/mycookbook/book/30566> Cooking Light Recipes </a> </li> <p>&nbsp;</p> <li>mariposa13's <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/mycookbook/book/44690> WW &amp; Lowfat Recipes </a> </li> <p><br /><img src=http://members.aol.com/sdnt4life/dpg.gif alt=Dirty /> <br /><a href=http://s10.photobucket.com/albums/a132/tgifford/Game%20Room%20Banners/AM%20Banners/?action=view&amp;current=kitchen-special-hot2-1.jpg target=_blank><img src=http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a132/tgifford/Game%20Room%20Banners/AM%20Banners/kitchen-special-hot2-1.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket /></a> <br /><img src=http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/Animation1.gif alt=Image /><img src=http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/4treasurehunt.gif alt=FFF#2 width=50% /> <br /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/purplechefhat.gif alt=Image /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/projects/chef3.jpg alt=Image /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/beartag_1_1.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/adopted_1_1.jpg border=0 alt=Adopted /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/200_artistrichardneuman-art-prints_.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/untitled.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/projects/200_PACpic.jpg border=0 alt=PAC /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/projects/pacbanner.jpg border=0 alt=Photo /> <br /><img src=http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/World%20Tour/ZaarWorldTourFirst.gif alt=/ /><img src=http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/World%20Tour/ZWT2.gif alt=/ /> <br /><img src=http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/Zaar%20World%20Tour%203/ZWT3-Participation.gif alt=/ /><img src=http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/World%20Tour/AnimatedHostChallengeBanner.gif alt=ZWT3 /><img src=http://www.satsleuth.com/cooking/RecipeSwap2.JPG alt=width=50% /> <br /><img src=http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/cookbookswap.jpg alt=/ /></p>
 
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