Paneer

(Indian fresh cheese)

Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

INGREDIENTS	PREP	AMOUNT
Milk		1 quart
Lemon juice		1 Tbsp

Basic Steps: Curdle → Strain → Press & Form

Bring milk just to boil, then remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and let set 10 minutes. This separates the curds and whey.
Strain through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer and squeeze out the excess whey. Flatten into a square shape about 1/2" thick in the cheesecloth. Place between 2 plates, and weigh the top plate down with something heavy like canned goods.
Chill for 1 up to 8 hours to allow excess whey to be squeezed out. Remove from cheesecloth and cut into squares to use in recipes.

A little salt can be added to the milk if you like. The cheese should not be salty though.

Paneer is a fresh cheese, often homemade, that is a primary source of protein for many India's millions of vegetarians. It is added to a variety of curry recipes, including matar paneer (curried peas and cheese) and saag, or palak paneer (spiced spinach with cheese).
A reasonable vegan substitute for paneer is firm tofu. Tofu is by no means an Indian product, but its texture and flavor are fairly similar.
Sometimes spelled panir.