paneer

i was so excited to make this. there's a lot of science in cooking, but i think you have to really know your stuff to make cheese. this is a good starter, i think--nothing really complicated. but it does take some time. i was kind of in a hurry when i did this, so i skipped the last step. still, the texture and flavor were great, and it totally worked. next time i'll do it like this person so i can actually cut it into cubes.

i made this to use in saag paneer, but hopefully i'll be using it in the future to make more indian food. just so you know, this is a really mild cheese that doesn't melt.


ingredients
1 liter whole milk
juice of one lime

i got everything at e-town in kosugi

let's go!
1. bring your milk to a boil. do this slowly, and stir frequently. this is important because you want to avoid two things: 1) forming a skin at the top, and 2) scorching. the proteins will stick to the bottom if the pan, and the sugars will burn. your milk will taste gross, and you will never get that pan clean. just be patient, and it will pay off.

2. when your milk comes to a boil, turn the heat down a little and let it bubble for a couple of minutes. take it off the heat, and immediately stir in the lime juice. wow, science! the milk will separate into white chunks and a clear liquid with a greenish tinge. remember little miss muffett? this is curds and whey.


3. now pour everything into cheesecloth. i was really excited about this part--i've never used cheesecloth to make actual cheese. i doubled up the cloth so i wouldn't squeeze the curds through the holes.


4. now rinse the curds really well in cold water. squeeze the liquid out, but not so hard that the cheese starts squirting through the cheesecloth.

5. hang the cheese up for a couple of hours.


enjoy!

cheeseball!