Homemade Paneer

Boil milk in a thick-bottomed pan. Stir it from time to time to keep it from sticking to the bottom.

Once the milk is boiling, turn off the heat and add lemon juice while stirring continuously.

It will take just a few seconds for the milk to curdle and that’s exactly the time you have to stop the cooking process, so add ice to the pot.

Let it sit for about a minute and then strain it through strainer lined with cheese cloth. Once again wash the collected cheese with cold tap water (this helps wash that extra lemony flavor).

Gather together all the sides of the cheese cloth and tie them together. Hang it somewhere to let the extra liquid drip off (place an empty bowl below it for the liquid to collect).

Once the liquid (or whey) stops dripping, take out the cheese and make a big ball of it. Wrap again with the cheese cloth. To press the cheese and give it a shape, place it over a chopping board and put a heavy pan or pot over it. (I usually use my wrought iron pan and to add more weight I put a few cans of beans on top of it).

Let it sit for an hour or so.

In an hour you’ll have your homemade paneer.