First of all, devotees often call paneer "curd", but so many Indians refer to yogurt as "curd", so just a little note about that, in case there is confusion.
Here is just some quicker technique. More info is online or at a previous posting:
JUST WHEN STARTING TO BOIL, CURDLE THE MILK. Use lemon juice and or yogurt whey or a little citric acid. Experiment for what amounts are needed. The whey should not be milky looking. It should be rather clear and yellow to greenish (forgive the blurry photos)
Now last post I said pour the curds and whey through a sieve as the next step. That’s fine and good, but sometimes I simply pour the milk curds into a medium fine sieve, without a cheesecloth.
Next, place a cheesecloth on top of a thick folded towel. Then the milk curds on top of the cheese cloth soon after straining somewhat in the fine sieve. Cover and press with a weight, such as a pot of water.
Using a cheesecloth after straining can be useful because sometimes diy cheesecloths at home (in this case, plain cotton cloth) often slow the initial draining process.
Usually the milk curd will completely come out of the sieve very easily by turning it upside down and giving it a rub it with your fingers under tap water to remove very easily. Better yet is using one of those little sprayer hoses connected to the kitchen sink. Simultaneously, place the now empty cooking pot underneath the running tap to catch the water to use as the weight on top of the milk curds. More photos are at the previous post.
Here is just some quicker technique. More info is online or at a previous posting:
JUST WHEN STARTING TO BOIL, CURDLE THE MILK. Use lemon juice and or yogurt whey or a little citric acid. Experiment for what amounts are needed. The whey should not be milky looking. It should be rather clear and yellow to greenish (forgive the blurry photos)
Now last post I said pour the curds and whey through a sieve as the next step. That’s fine and good, but sometimes I simply pour the milk curds into a medium fine sieve, without a cheesecloth.
Next, place a cheesecloth on top of a thick folded towel. Then the milk curds on top of the cheese cloth soon after straining somewhat in the fine sieve. Cover and press with a weight, such as a pot of water.
Using a cheesecloth after straining can be useful because sometimes diy cheesecloths at home (in this case, plain cotton cloth) often slow the initial draining process.
Usually the milk curd will completely come out of the sieve very easily by turning it upside down and giving it a rub it with your fingers under tap water to remove very easily. Better yet is using one of those little sprayer hoses connected to the kitchen sink. Simultaneously, place the now empty cooking pot underneath the running tap to catch the water to use as the weight on top of the milk curds. More photos are at the previous post.
Later note: I’ve reverted back to lining my sieve with the cheesecloth after all, to save water, then pressing the wrapped paneer with a heavy mortar or cast iron skillet on top of a cutting board (instead of using a pot of water).Just make sure to have a well draining cotton fabric cloth. I personally never buy or use the “cheesecloth” sold in stores because I have a hard time cleaning it.
Unpressed milk curd pictured second to the bottom is called chenna. It's good for something like scrambled paneer. If you do press for paneer, just press a minute for softer paneer. If you press longer, you can still add it during cooking to soften it up. Or grate it.
Paneer is super tasty when cooked a little in ghee first, whether immediately in a chaunce before adding to a subji or using a cast iron skillet separately for easier browning.
Unpressed milk curd pictured second to the bottom is called chenna. It's good for something like scrambled paneer. If you do press for paneer, just press a minute for softer paneer. If you press longer, you can still add it during cooking to soften it up. Or grate it.
Paneer is super tasty when cooked a little in ghee first, whether immediately in a chaunce before adding to a subji or using a cast iron skillet separately for easier browning.
