When Keepin it Real Goes Right

It is no secret that I've become quite accomplished at making unmeltable cheese in my kitchen. Last week, I gave my next home cheesemaking move some thought. Suddenly, I realized perhaps this was all a sign from celestial cheese spirits to start with my roots in making South Asia's signature and stalwartly unmeltable cheese:  Paneer.

Paneer is an Indian cheese used in many curries, acting essentially as a cheese tofu because it doesn't melt. It adds texture to soupy vegetable-based dishes, but flavor is not its main purpose. For that reason -- and because it's so easy to make -- Paneer is usually a homemade cheese and not a mass or artisanally produced one.

My paneer in all its glory

Paneer is an Indian cheese. I'm Indian. Paneer doesn't melt. I'm really good at making cheese that doesn't melt. Someone wrap a bow on this perfect plan, I thought.

My curry of choice for the finished cheese would be Palak Paneer, a pureed spinach dish.  Indian food, much less the ingredients to make said Indian food, are completely non-existent here in Del Rio. After all, I am the South Asian community in town...and most people here just assume I'm Mexican anyway -- which really takes the fun out of the "guess my ethnicity" game we brown people love to play. Palak Paneer would be a rare curry for which I could find all the ingredients in Del Rio. It would also serve the dual purpose of being a delightfully green celebration of St. Patrick's Day. I'm nothing if not multi-cultural.

The milk begins to curdle in the boiling
foam instantly after adding the acid

Several variations for paneer recipes exist, but the basic idea is the same. Boil the milk, and just before it starts to foam over the pot, add an acid that will curdle (a.k.a. coagulate) the milk. Typically, I've mentioned cheeses that use a combination of culture and rennet to acidify and then curdle the milk. However, high acid levels, such as when milk is left out to sour, will naturally curdle the milk over time. Really high acid levels will wad-up the protein even more quickly and without the need for rennet. So, the addition of something like vinegar or lemon juice will get you instant flavorless curds.

The fluffy curd is finished when it has

completely separated, leaving behind

only clear whey

I started with two quarts of milk and opted to use citric acid powder because I had it on hand with my cheesemaking supplies. I have only used the citric acid once in a quick and easy mozzarella recipe made without cultures, so I had no idea how its potency compared with basic lemon juice. Either I didn't dissolve the citric acid  in water properly or I used too much, but I didn't care for the consistency of the curd it produced. The curd was rough, dry, fractured and formed too quickly. The key to making Paneer is adding the acid slowly in increments as the curd begins to puff up like clouds in the foamy pot. I ditched my first attempt and started over with lemon juice.

Lemon juice & pure
citric acid

Again, I started with two quarts of milk. A split second after the foam started to rise over the pot, I frantically added lemon juice concentrate. (I recommend using a deep pot.). Before starting, I had poured about four tablespoons of juice in a glass. As I slowly poured from the glass, the milk that hadn't spilled over into the burner started to form tufts and calmed the bubbling milk. I added a little at a time until the puffy white curds separated completely from the clear yellow whey. By the time the whey was completely clear, I had probably used only about a tablespoon or two of the lemon juice in the glass. And I had a fluffy, moist, thicker curd.

My pressing rig

The two quarts didn't produce quite enough curd, so I repeated the steps with a second batch. I pressed the two batches with various heavy jugs in cheese cloth-lined net to drain some whey. Finally, I had the the desired curd to mold into a block. The finished cheese was about two inches thick after pressing and then molding it into a small tupperware container. One variation I found on the recipe that I may try next time is adding about half a cup of yogurt to the milk. My guess is that the extra ingredient would produce a better texture.

The next day, I cut the cold paneer into cubes resembling tofu, and added it during the final stages of cooking the spinach curry. Paneer disappears into the green soupiness, softening but never melting, and surprising you with a chewy morsel in random bites of delicious curry.

Come join me for an Indian feast
on St. Patrick's Day!

Despite my ancestry, I've never commanded any legitimate respect when it comes to cooking Indian food. The recipes my mother gives me never turn out quite as authentic when I make them. Yet, I think I made the motherland proud with the Indian dinner I had concocted:  Palak Paneer with my homemade paneer; mango lassi, a mango yogurt drink made with my homemade yogurt; and baked chicken with tandoori spices. Everything, especially the cheese, looked and tasted perfect. Oh those wily cheese spirits, always know exactly how to get you out of a rut.