Paneer

Find out Paneer Recipes at RasoiTime



Paneer

Paneer (Hindi: पनीर /pəniːr/, from Persian پنير sometimes spelled Panir or Paner), is the most common Indian form of cheese. It is an un-aged, acid-set, non-melting farmer cheese that is similar to acid-set fresh mozzarella and queso blanco, except that it does not have salt added, much like hoop cheese. Another significant difference between mozzarella and paneer is the fact that mozzarella melts like many other cheeses whereas paneer does not melt while cooking.

Most paneer is simply pressed into a cube and then sliced or chopped, although 'chhana', the Bengali version of paneer, is beaten or kneaded like mozzarella. Paneer is one of the few types of cheese indigenous to the Indian subcontinent, and is widely used in Indian cuisine and even some Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian cuisine. Unlike most cheeses in the world, the making of paneer does not involve rennet; it is therefore completely vegetarian. Paneer is a primary source of protein for Buddhists (typically those of Southeast Asian origin) who adhere to vegetarian as opposed to vegan diets. Paneer is known in North India and Pakistan by the same name; however, in Orissa and Bengal it is known by the name Chhana and in South India, by names derived from Paneer and Channa (not to be confused with Chana, the Indian name for the chick pea). The Eastern variety (Chhana, pronounced /tʃʰana/) crumbles more easily than the North and South Indian variants of paneer.

Firm tofu has a similar texture and consistency so it can be used in place of paneer as a non-dairy substitute.


 
Preparation


Scalloped potatoes with paneer

Paneer is a healthy, protein-rich food. To prepare paneer, food acid (usually simple lemon juice or vinegar) is added to hot milk to separate the curds from the whey. The curds are then drained in a muslin cloth or cheesecloth and excess water is pressed out. Next, the obtained paneer is dipped in chilled water for 2-3 hours to give it a good texture and appearance.

From this point, the preparation of paneer diverges based on its use. In Mughlai cuisine, the paneer-cloth is put under a heavy weight, such as a stone slab, for 2-3 hours, and is then cut into cubes for use in curries. Pressing for a shorter time (approximately 20 minutes), results in a softer, fluffier cheese. Oriya cuisine and Bengali cuisine demand paneer-dough produced by beating or kneading the paneer by hand into a dough-like consistency.

Surati Paneer


The Surati Paneer, made in the region around Surat in Gujarat, is a variant of paneer made by draining the curd and ripening them in whey for 12 to 36 hours.

Mughlai cuisine

Peas and paneer in tomato sauce

A part of Mughlai cuisine, Paneer is the only type of cheese traditionally used in Indian cuisine. The ruling aristocracy in the second millennium AD was of Turkic, (Central Asian), and Persian origin, and it was they who introduced paneer to India. As a result, in large parts of east India, Paneer is an aspirational food, and defines sumptuousness in vegetarian feasts. It is very popular when wrapped in dough and deep-fried or served with either spinach (palak paneer) or peas (matar paneer).

 
Eastern Indian cuisine


In Bangladesh and eastern India, two kinds of cheese are commonly found: ponir (a hard paneer) and chhana (a soft paneer).

Ponir is a salty semi-hard cheese made in villages across Bangladesh, and Orissa and West Bengal in India. Its sharp flavor and high salt content contrasts with the softer, milder chhana. Ponir is typically eaten in slices at teatime with biscuits or bread, or deep-fried in a light batter.

While Mughlai cuisine uses paneer in spicy curry dishes, the use of chhana in Oriya cuisine or Bengali cuisine is mostly restricted to sweetmeats, for which this region is justly renowned. Most Oriya and Bengali sweets feature chhana beaten by hand into dough-like consistency and then used in crafting the sweetmeat. The chhana used in such cases is manufactured by a slightly different procedure from Mughlai paneer; it is drained but not pressed, so that some moisture is retained, which makes for a soft, malleable consistency.

Chhana may, however, be pressed slightly into small cubes and curried to form a Dalna in Oriya and Bengali cuisines.

The Rasgulla is the classical sweetmeat made by this method. It features plain chhana beaten by hand into the right consistency, then shaped into balls which are dunked into sugar syrup.

Some of the Paneer recipes are:

Matar Paneer 
Palak Paneer 
Paneer Paratha 
Paneer Korma 
Paneer 
Paneer Capsicum 
Paneer Chilli 
Paneer Butter Masala 
Paneer Bhurji 
Shahi Paneer 
Achari Paneer 
Kadhai Paneer 
Paneer Pakora