making chunky flavoured paneer easy way..

(This post is dedicated to all my keep fit and maintain shape buddies..)


I fell in love with paneer 30 years back when my north indian classmate and friend used to bring mutter paneer and the paneer used to be golden (evenly fried) and cooked so well yumm..

I love paneer, and since i don't have enough milk to up my calcium, i sometimes indulge in paneer. i used to buy paneer from the shops and later with the cost and also the lingering sourness in the paneer that were available (apart from amul) made me try it at home.

I have intially tried making with full cream milk with great success..later on i wanted a low cal version.. so i have used a little milk and the rest milk powder (skimmed).

Ingredients :

1/2 litre milk- i used the standard blue aavin.
1 cup skimmed milk powder(instead you can use 1 more ltr of milk)
1/2cup curd
some herbs/chilli flakes as per choice.
a cheese cloth or a muslin cloth.

method.

add 4 cups of water to the 1 cup of milk powder. make milk.
Take a deep bottom vessel. pour the 1/2litre milk and add the milk made from the powder.allow it boil.
add the curd, and the milk starts curdling. at this juncture you can add any herb you want. i have added some oregano and chilli flakes..(you can even use a few pieces of crushed garlic..)allow the milk to seperate completely.
take a deep bottome pan..cover it with the cheesecloth (you get strainers too) ..start pouring the curdled milk.
gather the corners.just hold it for a few seconds.. keep it under running water until it is completely cooled.
now allow the water to drip away.
place a plate on top of the cloth holding the residue. place a weight on top of the plate and leave it for an hour. (here i used the grinder stones..)
open and remove the slab of paneer.cut into desired pieces..can be stored for 10 days..(.usually i saute the whole panner slab on a non stick tava before making pieces..)

now the whey water, i use it in soups, to make atta and also oats porrige.

now the pictures..for some reason not able to post the collages..the zip file has self explanatory pictures..