Paneer, Ghee and Yogurt.
A litre of buffalo milk gives about half as much again of paneer as a litre of cow's milk: it carries twice the fat and more protein to catch in the curd.
Paneer is made without rennet: milk is heated to near boiling, then lemon juice or vinegar (or sour whey from the last batch) is stirred in until the casein — together with whey proteins, which the heat has unfolded — clots into soft curds and the whey turns clear and greenish (VI.9). The curds are drained in muslin (this soft stage is chhena, the base of Bengali sweets like rasgulla) and pressed under a weight for an hour into a firm block. Because it is acid-set at high temperature, paneer does not melt when heated (XVII.8): it can be cubed, fried and simmered in a sauce. Its yield depends on the milk's fat and protein and on how much water the pressing leaves.
Ghee is butter (about 82 % fat) simmered gently until its water boils away, the foam subsides and the milk solids sink and turn golden-brown, giving a nutty aroma; it is then strained. With water and milk solids gone it keeps for months without refrigeration and can be heated far hotter than butter before smoking (IX.3). Dahi, home yogurt, is milk fermented overnight with a spoonful of the last batch (XIV.5): it is whisked with cucumber or onion into raita to cool a spicy meal, thinned into lassi, and used in marinades where its acid and enzymes tenderise meat (XVIII.5). The workshop makes paneer.
Below: the paneer from one litre of the milk you choose, pressed to the moisture you choose (teaching yield formula recovering 90 % of the fat and protein, with some lactose and minerals), and the whey left over.
- Make paneer from milk and acid.
- Explain why paneer does not melt.
- Make ghee.
- Use yogurt in raita, lassi and marinades.
Hot milk, acid, press
In the teaching formula a litre of cow's milk pressed to 55 % moisture gives about 147 g of paneer, buffalo milk about 233 g and skimmed milk only 79 g, rubbery and dry. The rest — some 850 g from cow's milk — is whey, rich in lactose and minerals: use it to knead roti dough, cook rice or dal, or set the next batch of paneer.
Paneer from 2 L whole milk: bring to a boil in a heavy pan, stirring; turn off the heat and wait a minute, then stir in 3–4 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar diluted in a little water, a spoonful at a time, until the curds separate and the whey is clear (do not add more than needed — it toughens the curd). Pour through a muslin-lined sieve, rinse with cold water to remove the acid taste, gather the cloth, squeeze, and press under a heavy pan for an hour. Cut into cubes; it keeps 3 days in the fridge in water. Ghee: melt 500 g unsalted butter and simmer gently 15–20 minutes until it stops bubbling and the solids are golden-brown; strain through muslin into a clean dry jar.
Make paneer from one litre of milk and weigh what you get after pressing. Compare it with the workshop.
Terms
- Paneer
- Fresh acid-set pressed cheese that does not melt.
- Chhena
- Soft unpressed curd for Bengali sweets.
- Ghee
- Butter simmered until water is gone and solids brown, then strained.
- Dahi
- Home yogurt, set with the last batch.
Sources
- A teaching value chosen for the course: the right order of magnitude and shape, not a measurement of a particular food.
- H. McGee, On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, 2nd ed., Scribner, 2004.
- K. T. Achaya, Indian Food: A Historical Companion, Oxford University Press, 1994; and A Historical Dictionary of Indian Food, 1998.