Best Fresh Indian Cheese Recipes

PALAK PANEER (INDIAN FRESH SPINACH WITH PANEER CHEESE)

Steps:

• Cut spinach into shreds and cook in 3 tablespoons water until tender; remove from heat.
• Saute onion, cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger in 1-2 tablespoons ghee or oil until onion is translucent.
• Then add garlic and chopped tomatoes, and reduce heat.
• Cook this briefly and slowly blend in yogurt a little at a time to prevent curdling.
• Add coriander, garam masala, paprika, and salt, mixing well.
• Add cooked spinach with liquid, cover and simmer on low heat for approximately 20-30 minutes.
• Remove from heat.
• Take half of spinach mixture and puree in food processor or blender, and return to mixture and stir.
• Slowly stir in heavy cream, and heat through on low heat.
• Add paneer cubes.
• Serve.

INDIAN STYLE SPINACH WITH FRESH CHEESE (SAAG PANEER) - COOK'S IL

Steps:

• Line a colander with a triple layer of cheesecloth and set in sink. Bring milk to boil in large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Whisk in buttermilk and salt and remove from heat. Let stand 1 minute. Pour through cheesecloth let drain 15 minutes.
• Pull together edges of cheesecloth to form pouch. Twist pouch, extracting as much liquid as possible. Place pouch between two plates and set a heavy pot on the top plate. Let stand at room temperature 45 minutes, or until cheese is firm and set. Drain whey as often as necessary. (Cheese can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated up to 3 days at this point.) Unwrap and dice cheese into 1/2" pieces.
• Place spinach in large bowl and microwave on high until wilted, about 3 minutes. Let cool until it can be handled.
• Chop enough spinach to make 1/2 cup and set aside. Place remaining spinach in blender container.
• Wilt mustard greens in same bowl in microwave, about 4 minutes. Let it cool until it can be handled.
• Chop enough mustard greens to make 1/2 cup and set aside with chopped spinach. Add remaining mustard greens to blender container.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds, coriander, paprika, cardamom, and cinnamon, and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add onion and 3/4 tsp salt; cook until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and jalapeno, and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until pan is dry and tomatoes are beginning to brown, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer half the mixture to the blender.
• Add half the cashews and all the water to the blender. Process on high until smooth, about 1 minute. Add puree to skillet and return to medium-high heat. Add reserved greens and buttermilk and bring to simmer. Reduce to low, cover, and cook until flavors blend, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Gently fold in cheese cubes and cook until hot, 1-2 minutes. Serve sprinkled with remaining cashews and cilantro.

FRESH INDIAN CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring milk to a full boil in a 6-quart heavy pot, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and slowly stir in lemon juice. Cook until milk begins to separate, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat and let milk stand 10 minutes.
• Pour mixture into a colander lined with a triple layer of cheesecloth. Rinse cheese curds under gently running lukewarm water. Gather up edges of cheesecloth, twisting gently to squeeze out as much water as possible, and transfer cheese in cheesecloth to a bowl, flattening into a disk. Weight cheese with a bowl filled with water or a large can. Let paneer stand at room temperature 1 hour, or until firm, and pour off any liquid that has accumulated in bowl.