Chanaa (paneer)

Home-made fresh chanaa (paneer)

Ingredients:

To make fresh paneer used in several Bengali recipes, you will need:

• Milk (whole) - 0.5 liters

• Freshly squeezed lime juice - 3 tbsp

• A piece of cheesecloth or similar fine cotton cloth

The measures indicated will make about 70-75 grams of chanaa. 

Time considerations: It takes ~1.5 hours to make the paneer. 

Procedure:

1. Boil the milk in a pan. 

2. When it starts boiling, add the lime juice and stir gently. 

3. Remove from heat as soon as the milk curdles. 

4. Pour the curdled milk into cheese cloth (any fine cotton cloth maybe used as substitute) and collect the liquid in a container. 

5. Tie the cloth containing the curdled milk and use a heavy weight to press down on it. 

6. Keep for at least 1 hour so that all liquid drains out. 

7. Open the cloth and the paneer is ready. 

Note on using ready-made paneer blocks/cubes:

Cut the paneer into desired sized pieces. Add the pieces to warm water and leave for approximately 10 minutes or until the pieces soften. The time for softening depends on the refrigeration state and quality of the paneer. Drain the water and keep aside.