Paneer fresh cheese homemade is easier to prepare than you might think. This indian cheese is a bit firmer, than the fresh cheese we normally by in the supermarket. The paneer fresh cheese suits very good for indian dishes like Palak Paneer or this spinach creme soup with cheese balls. On top of a good piece of bread it’s also deliciuos.

Effect on the doshas: good for Vata and Pitta. Increases Kapha. Ayurveda recommends no to eat cheese (joghurt, curd cheese) for dinner because it´s dificult to digest and locks our “srotas” (transport spaces). The best moment to enjoy cheese is at lunch time.

Ingredients

1 liter of fresh milk produces 115 gr. paneer cheese

2 liters of fresh milk produce 250 gr. paneer cheese

3 – 4 soup spoons fresh lemon juice

1 cheesecloth

You can use lemon juice, yoghurt or whey to make paneer cheese. Lemon juice will give the cheese a slightliy acid taste, yoghurt makes it more creamy. We like to make our paneer with lemon juice. The quantity of lemon juice determine how “hard” the cheese will be. the more lemon juice you use, the harder the cheese will get. And it shouldn’t get hard like a wooden table, so try to use only the minimum of lemon juice. For 2 liters you’ll need 3 – 4 soup spoons.

Preparation

Prepare a siev with a doble folded cheesecloth. The cloth should be wet. Squeezed but still humid.  Put the sieve into a big pot or bowl, to catch the whey.

Flush out a big pot with cold water and than pour the 2 liters of milk into it and heat it up slowly. Attention: there must be enough space, that the milk can come up when it’s going to boil! Stir the milk and let it boil.

When the milk is boiling and comes up, add one after another the 3 – 4 soup spoons of lemon juice. Take the pot from the stove. If the coagulation isn’t happening, add  a little bit more lemon juice.

The spongy paneer gets separeted almost immediately from the clear yellow green whey. Now pour all through the sieve into the cheesecloth. Flush the paneer 30 seconds under cold water, to get rid of the rests of the coagulation. The paneer is getting firmer now.

Squeeze the cheesecloth with your hands and put some weight on it. For example two glasses of marmelade.

Take away the cheesecloth after 2 hours and put the fresh paneer cheese into the fridge. If you’d like the cheese softer, press the cheesecloth only with your hands and hang the cloth on the grip in the sink and let of the liquid drop down. Don’t put extra weight onto it.

You can drink the whey or keep it. After 1 or 2 days it’s getting more acid and can be used as a coagulation liquid for the next paneer cheese. You need 300ml whey for 1 liter of fresh milk.

The paneer cheese is very versatil and can be used for many dishes. And hurray, you just made cheese for the first time in your life. Bravo!