A very Paneer Diwali – Paneer Kheer
Diwali (or Deepavali), the ‘Festival of Lights’, is a magical time of the year. And I say this not because of the flowers, fireworks, colourful traditional wear or general good cheer. I will admit, for me, it’s the food. Diwali treats are rich and sweet and bursting with flavour. At the end of the day, I go to bed with zero guilt even if I’ve eaten a month’s worth of sweets. One magical day of the year. And so, here is a double-feature for your own little homemade creation this season. Enjoy!
How to make Paneer
Paneer (cottage cheese) is a versatile ingredient that can be used to make both sweet and savoury Indian dishes. It is extremely easy to make soft crumbly paneer at home using whole milk. It only take a few minutes. You could also buy paneer at the supermarket (in this case, you can just skip to the main recipe below) but once you’ve made it fresh at home, you won’t look back!
Ingredients
Whole milk – 1 liter
Lemon/lime juice – 2 to 3 tablespoons (*Note 1 for alternative)
Method
1) Bring the whole milk to a boil in a wide non stick or heavy bottomed pan.
2) Now reduce the heat completely and add the lemon juice slowly a little bit at a time stirring constantly. In a few seconds the acidity in the lemon juice will curdle the milk. At this stage the milk solids will separate and float. When the solids separate completely stop adding the lemon juice.
3) Remove the pan from the stove and pour the paneer through a sieve and strain it out completely (*Note 2).
4) Wash the strained paneer in cold running water to bring down the temperature immediately (*Note 3).
5) The paneer should be soft and crumbly to touch. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 or 6 days.
Notes
I have used lemon to curdle the milk, but if you do not have lemon then diluted white vinegar (take 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and add equal quantity of water) can be used instead.
The watery liquid that is separated from the paneer is called ‘whey water’. This is rich in proteins and can be used wisely to improve the protein content in soups, gravies, rotis and other dishes. So when you strain the paneer, collect this nutritious whey water and use it! It can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 or 6 days. This water can also be used to curdle milk the next time you make paneer (instead of lemon juice).
This step is important in 2 aspects. First, the temperature has to be brought down immediately to retain the softness of the paneer. Secondly, washing the paneer before storing helps to remove the acidity of the lemon juice and retain the neutral taste.
Beginner’s tips
Adding 2 tablespoons of plain yoghurt to the boiling milk while making the paneer gives softer and richer paneer.
Fresh paneer should always be stored in the fridge and not in the freezer.
When using it in dishes, paneer should be cooked minimally, otherwise it looses its softness and becomes dry and chewy.
Use only whole milk with a fat content of 3% and above to get good quality paneer. Never use low fat or skimmed milk! Also, be careful not to use long-life (UHT treated) milk because it’s extremely difficult to separate it.
Paneer Kheer
Ingredients
Paneer – 1 cup
Sugar – 200 gms
Whole milk – 1 liter
Slivered almonds or broken walnuts – ½ cup
Ghee/butter – 1 tablespoon
Cornflour – 1 tablespoon (mix this with 3 tablespoons of milk)
Saffron – a few strands
Cardamom powder – ¼ teaspoon
Yield
1.5 L
(serving size 150 ml)
Prep time
10 mins
(to make paneer)
Cook time
12 mins
Method
1) Add ghee/butter to a non-stick or heavy bottomed pan. Fry the nuts for 2 to 3 minutes in low heat till crisp (no need to fry until golden). Keep aside.
2) In the same pan add the milk and bring to a rolling boil. At this point, add the sugar and stir continuously until it dissolves completely. Let this boil for another 5 to 6 minutes. Keep stirring intermittently so that the milk does not stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
3) Now add the cornflour mixture and stir continuously for 2 minutes. The milk will start to thicken.
4) At this stage add the paneer, fried nuts, saffron and cardamom powder. Boil for 1 min.
5) Serve hot or cold!
