Guest post by Big Apple Curry inspiration Geetha, who is my mom, and lives in Canada

COVID-19 has changed life in so many ways for all of us. As a senior, one of the big adjustments to this new way of life has been online grocery shopping.  It was a first for me, and there was definitely a learning curve. Sometimes, I would get couple of items I didn’t order, and other times the store would throw in extra quantities of what I did order. I took it all in stride, as these times are not normal, and I decided to embrace it as a whole new learning experience.

Recently, I ended up with extra milk, yogurt and sour cream. I suddenly had all of this dairy that I had to figure out what to do with it! Looking at the expiry dates, I decided to do something with all of the extra milk I had. It dawned on me that paneer, like any cheese, uses a lot of milk. Paneer — often described as “farmer’s cheese” or “cubes of cheese” — is used in many North Indian vegetarian dishes. By far, saag (spinach) paneer is one of the most-ordered Indian restaurant and take-out items. Our family has always loved Mattar Paneer where the cubes of cheese are pan-seared and stewed with whole cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom and gently simmered with sweet green peas.

So, I decided to do some research on the best way to go about making paneer at home. I came across many recipes, but I was most inspired by the Vah Chef based on the spices he used. Because paneer is mostly plain, the idea of adding a twist like black peppercorn and and ground cumin to flavor the cheese was so appealing — I imagined it would taste great, plus it would look more interesting than plain paneer.

I used 2 litres of milk and made paneer from scratch! While the recipe is straightforward, the process is a bit cumbersome, as it requires a cheesecloth, many kitchen items such as bowls and sieves, and about 5-6 lb of weight to press down on the cheese itself. But if you’re feeling adventurous in the kitchen, love paneer and don’t have access to a store that readily sells it, then this recipe is a great idea.

Homemade Paneer with mint, cumin, and black peppercorn (adapted from The Vah Chef)

Equipment

• Cheesecloth
• Large heavy bottom pot (Dutch oven)
• Large bowl
• Large sieve (that fits over the aforementioned large bowl)
• Large plate or platter
• Double boiler if you have it, otherwise an inverted colander will do
• 5-6 lbs of weight (I used a couple of bags of lentils)

Setup

1. Rinse and ring out cheesecloth.
2. Place a larger sieve over a large bowl and line the sieve with the wet cheesecloth.
3. Place a double boiler or colander inverted over a large plate.

Ingredients

• 2 liters OR 8 cups of full-fat (whole) milk
• 1/2 cup of lemon juice OR white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed cumin seeds (or ground cumin)
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns (or ground pepper)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried mint

Preparation

1. Add milk to a Dutch oven and slowly bring to a boil over low-to-medium heat, uncovered — stirring often so the milk doesn’t start to burn. This will take about 10-15 minutes.
2. While the milk is heating, add cumin/black peppercorn/mint (if you’re using)
3. Once the milk comes a boil, add lemon juice (or vinegar) and immediately turn off the heat. Stir
4. The milk will start to curdle right away. Once it does, remove from the burner and stir.
5. Carefully pour curdled milk over cheesecloth. Bring the ends of the cheesecloth together to form a sack while the liquid drains into the bowl. Be careful as liquid will be hot.
6. Once it has mostly drained, place the sack on top of the inverted boiler or colander. The sack should be flat.
7. Place a 5-6 lb weight on top of the sack (I used a couple of bags of lentils).
8. Leave it to rest for 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on how firm you like it (I let it rest for 2 hours).
9. Remove from cheesecloth and cut into squares or any shapes you desire! If you need a recipe idea, I highly recommend making our homemade Mattar Paneer, as mentioned above!