How to Make Paneer - Homemade Paneer in Hindi

Paneer can be easily prepared at home. Its very easy and you have to follow some simple steps. Within an hour it can be made. In this recipe, I have used Curd. Paneer is an Indian cheese which is used in many recipes for appetizers, main courses and desserts.

Ingredients of Homemade Paneer:

11/2 kg Buffalo milk (full fat cream milk)
¾ cup curd or 4 tbsp lemon juice

How to make Paneer at Home:

Boil milk on a medium low heat in a deep heavy bottom pan.
When the milk starts boiling simmer it and let it boil for 5 mins.
After 5 mins add curd gradually. You can put lemon juice or vinegar but I am comfortable with yogurt because the paneer becomes smoother by adding it.
Put the flame on low and continue heating till it starts curdling and whey gets separated. After 15 -20 sec you will see milk start to separate from the whey.
When the whey becomes in light greenish colour then you will find milk has totally separated. At this stage switch off the flame and let the pan sits for few mins.
Take a big cheese cloth or muslin cloth and place it over a deep container. Cloth should be big so that it can tie up easily and container should be deep to strain all the whey.
Pour milk solids and whey on the cheese cloth and strain the paneer.
Take the opposite edges of the cloth and bring it to the centre, tie together and hang it on tap. Hang it for 45min to 1 hour so that all the whey gets completely strain. Do not disturb between this period and let the whey drip by itself. Keep the container below the hanging cloth so that all the whey drips in it.
After an hour remove the hanging cloth from tap and untie the knot and open the cloth smoothly on flat plate. I have not remove the cloth just untie it and wrap the paneer with the same cloth.
Now keep the heavy weight on paneer to get the tight shape. I used roti maker and pestle. Keep the roti maker over it and pestle over roti maker. Now leave it for 45 mins to 1 hour.
After an hour remove the weight, open the cloth and flatten the paneer on plate.
Cut paneer into desired shape.

Note:

Take full cream milk to get perfect paneer. Buffalo milk has good amount of fat and to make paneer we need full cream milk and buffalo milk is best.

Take deep heavy bottom pan so that milk does not get burn.

If you are using lemon juice to curdle just wash it twice atleast, in cold water to get rid of the lemon flavour.

Use the leftover whey for kneading chapathi dough or save it for making paneer next time. You can use this whey while making the batter for Idli. If whey is not using immediately, freeze it.

Flatten the paneer out onto a baking dish, keep it in the fridge for about an hour and then cut it into cubes by which paneer will not get crumbled and form a perfect shape.

Watch my more Paneer recipes