Paneer

Paneer is a fresh Indian cheese that's made with just milk and an acid, like lemon juice or vinegar. It's super simple to make, and very tasty!

• 1 litre (about 4 1/4 cups) whole milk
  
  
• 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar

1. Pour milk into large pot, and bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Watch closely and stir occasionally to make sure that the milk doesn't burn.
   
   
2. Once the milk is boiling, add the lemon juice or vinegar. Stir continuously while the milk curdles and splits into two parts; the solid curd, and the liquid whey. Let the pot sit and cool for 5-10 minutes.
   
   
3. Place a colander in the sink, lined with clean cheesecloth, j-cloths, thick paper towels, or other very thin clean cloth. Pour the pot into the colander, and let the whey drain away. Rinse the remaining curds with cold water to wash away any remaining whey and acid.
   
   
4. Bundle up the paneer in the cloth, and squeeze gently to drain excess water. It will still be very soft and watery at this point, but don't worry, it'll firm up more in the fridge!
   
   
5. Place your package of paneer on a large plate, and place something heavy on top; a heavy pan, a small stack of plates, or one plate with some cans on it. Put in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or until the remaining whey has drained away and the curds have set into cheese.

• You do need to use full fat, or whole milk for paneer. Lower fat milk won't work.
  
  
• The milk should separate right away when you add your acid. If it doesn't, you can try adding a little more (no more than 4 tablespoons of lemon juice, and no more than 3 tablespoons of vinegar).

• Try mixing herbs and spices to the paneer before pressing. Oregano, thyme, and rosemary is a tasty combination.
  
  
• Paneer is a little bland if you eat it plain- usually it's diced and stirred into flavourful Indian dishes like curries. You can also dice paneer and fry it so that it's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Eat as a snack, or add to dishes!

• Wrap paneer in plastic wrap or place in sealed container. Can be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Recipe adapted from the Guardian

Food is Too Expensive! was funded by the City of Saskatoon through our Healthy Yards partnership, the Cyril Capling Trust Fund of the College of Agriculture and Bioresources, and the Department of Plant Sciences. Focus group research to inform this work was collected by CHEP. Thank you all for helping us make healthy food more accessible!