Degchi
Paneer
Also written: Indian cottage cheese
- Urduپنیر
- Hindiपनीर
- Banglaপনির
- Arabicجبن قريش
Paneer is a fresh cheese made by curdling hot milk with lemon juice or vinegar, draining the curds and pressing them into a block. It is mild, a little milky and firm, and unlike many cheeses it does not melt, so it keeps its shape in curries and on skewers.
That makes it a flexible vegetarian protein. Our library uses it in palak paneer, matar paneer, kadai paneer, shahi paneer and paneer butter masala, as well as paneer tikka and paneer bhurji, where it is crumbled instead of cubed.
To cook it well, think about when it goes into the pan. In a gravy, add the cubes toward the end and simmer only briefly, because long boiling makes them tighter and rubbery. For tikka or dry dishes, marinate, then sear or grill until the edges colour. If you want especially soft cubes in a curry, you can soak them in warm salted water for ten minutes before adding.
You can make it at home: heat milk until it steams and starts to rise, stir in lemon juice a spoonful at a time until the curds separate, strain through muslin, rinse briefly, then press under a weight. Shop paneer keeps in its pack in the fridge until the date on it; once opened, keep it covered and use it within a few days.
Recipes that use it
8 of our 247 recipes call for paneer. Here are a few to start with.
- Spinach and Cottage Cheese Curry
- Paneer Tikka
- Shahi Paneer
- Kadai Paneer
- Matar Paneer
- Paneer Butter Masala
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South Asian Recipes in US Cups and Ounces: A Practical Conversion Guide