Paneer (Indian Cottage cheese) can be made at home

To make cottage cheese, milk is curdled and then drained, but not pressed. Draining removes much of the whey in the cheese, but not all of it. Pressing would extract the remainder of the whey, turning cottage cheese into a firmer cheese like pot cheese or farmer's cheese. It is not aged or colored


Ingredients:

• 1 gallon 2% milk
• ½ cup vinegar
• A colander
• Cheese cloth or tea towel

Method:

• Pour the skim milk into a large saucepan and place over medium heat.
• When the milk comes to a boil, remove from the heat and gently pour in the vinegar. Stir slowly for 1 to 2 minutes. The curd will separate from the whey. Cover and allow the mixture to cool.
• Pour the mixture into a colander lined with a cheese cloth and allow to sit and drain for 5 minutes.
• Gather up the edges of the cloth and rinse under cold water for 3 to 5 minutes or until the curd is completely cooled, squeezing and moving the mixture the whole time.
• Once cooled, squeeze as dry as possible and transfer to an air tight container, if it is to be used as soft cheese. Keep it in refrigerator.
• To make the paneer into a block, tie the cloth and place it under something heavy. Some more whey will come out and after about one hour the paneer can be cut into chunks.