Homemade Baked Paneer

About a year ago, I attended a cheese-making class hosted by my local Co-op. We learned how to make ricotta, mozzarella, and paneer. My favorite to make of the 3 is paneer. It requires only 3 ingredients, and if you're patient, is very, very simple. If you try to rush it, the texture will be suboptimal and the yield will be lower.

In this post, I show you how to made homemade paneer, as well as a recipe for spicy baked paneer modified from the Sundays at Moosewood cookbook.

Let's see how it's done. Since technique really, really, matters here, I'm going to offer some of my kitchen notes up early:

• Use whole milk. If you use lower fat milk, you will have less cheese as an outcome.
• Use pasteurized milk, but avoid ultra-pasteurized milk if possible. You can usually obtain pasteurized milk if you can access a local dairy. The yield and consistency will be superior if you can find the non-ultra pasteurized. 
• In theory, you can use almost any kitchen acid (e.g., citrus juice, vinegar) to make the paneer. I've only ever tried with lemon and lime, and recommend lemon or lime for your 1st attempt. 
• Don't rush the milk to boil. I never get the right consistency when I do this. 
• Avoid any potential for a chemical reaction and use wooden utensils instead of metal. 

OK, still with me? Now we're ready to go!

Homemade Paneer (yields about 3 C)

• 1 gallon pasteurized milk
• 8 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
• salt

1. In a covered, heavy bottom container, bring the gallon of milk to boil over low to medium heat. This may take a very long time--don't rush it. Check the pot often, be sure it doesn't boil over. While the milk is heating, line a large sieve with cheese cloth.
2. Once the milk comes to a boil--not just a simmer, add 8 Tbsp lemon or lime juice, and a pinch of salt. With a slotted spoon, stir the milk until it begins to curdle and clump together.
3. Stir for another minute or two, pour through the cheesecloth-lined sieve. Press the paneer into a cake and cover with the cheesecloth. Place a weight on top of the paneer, and let drain for 1 hour. Cut into cubes, and incorporate into dishes as desired. Refrigerate any unused paneer and use within 10 days. 

Here are some pics:

                                                        Not quite read for the lemon juice

                                               Just poured into the sieve...sorry so fuzzy

                                                      Just after being pressed into a cake.

                                                         After being pressed for an hour.

                                                                   Cut into cubes

So, now that you've made the paneer, what to do with it? This is a recipe modified from Sundays at Moosewood. It's nicely seasoned, comes together fast, and is very warming on a cold day.

Baked Paneer (serves about 6)

• 1/2 batch paneer (about 1 1/2 C), cut into cubes
• 2/3 C diced tomatoes (canned)
• 3 scallions, coarsely chopped
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp peeled ginger
• juice of 1 lemon
• 6 Tbsp plain yogurt
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/3 C frozen peas
• 1/4 chopped cilantro

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Oil a small casserole dish and place the paneer in the dish.
2. In a food processor, combine 1/3 of the diced tomatoes, the scallions, tomato paste, ginger, lemon, yogurt, salt, cayenne and garam masala and combine until well mixed. 
3. Pour the mixture over the paneer cubes. Add the peas, remaining 1/3 C tomatoes, and cilantro to the casserole dish and mix gently. Bake, uncovered, for 15-20 or until the sauce is bubbling. Serve hot with rice, naan, or both. 

Verdict? This is a terrific weeknight meal that rivals Indian takeout. This will only be as good as the paneer, so be sure to take your time making the paneer. This is a well seasoned dish that will make you smile in cold weather.



 

Curried Zucchini Soup

Back in grad school, I used to frequently eat at The Red Herring, a non-profit, typically student run vegetarian (and when I was in school, strictly vegan) restaurant. It was charming and eclectic, and typically served a killer bowl of soup for $3. One of my favorites was their curried zucchini soup. I've tried to make it at home before, never with much success.

 I recently started experimenting with cashew cream, an ingredient used in a lot of vegan recipes to simulate heavy cream. I thought that this might be the ingredient that finally brings me success with this soup, especially since it's what the Red Herring used to give soups a creamy texture and mouthfeel. 

Curried Zucchini Soup (serves 4)

• Vegetable Oil 
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 shallots, miched 
• 1 large zucchini, diced (about 3 C)
• 1 Tbsp garam masala
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne 
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 2 C faux-chicken or veggie broth
• salt & pepper
• 1-1.5 C cashew cream 

1. Heat a bit of oil in a small Dutch oven or soup pot. Add the garlic and shallots and stir over medium heat until the shallots begin to soften. Don't allow the garlic to brown. 
2. Add the diced zucchini. Add more oil if required. Add the garam masala, curry powder, cayenne & turmeric and sautee for about 5 minutes or until the zucchini begins to soften.
3. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and allow to simmer for 30 mins. Taste, adding salt & pepper & additional spices as needed. 
4. Stir in the cashew cream until well incorporated. Once well mixed, (carefully!) scoop a few ladlefuls into a food processor and pulse til smooth. Add back to the soup.
5. Add additional broth, or cashew cream if desired to achieve preferred consistency. If you'd like, process more of the soup for a smoother consistency.
6. Adjust seasonings, and cook for a few more minutes over med-low heat. Garnish with onion relish if desired. 

Kitchen Notes: I threw this soup together pretty haphazardly, & this soup will be forgiving regarding the spices you use, so feel free to experiment depending on your whims.


Verdict? Help! This soup is good, but it's not quite what I remember. The texture was perfect--really spot on, and it's surprisingly that there's no dairy. You can see by the sheen on the soup that it looks like proper cream--this would be a good alternative for someone with a dairy/lactose allergy or high cholesterol. The flavor, however was a bit too mild for me, and in past experiences, adding copious amounts of curry powder makes a food gritty. Does anyone have a favorite curry brand? Or a recommendation of other spices?

Ingredient Elimination & A Trio of: Chai Almonds

Here's my second installment in my trio of roasted nuts and my second attempt at getting rid of egg whites. I wanted to make a sugared almond with a little something extra. For this, I took a basic sugared almond recipe and added the seasoning from a Chai tea recipe from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant. I was pleased with the result. Just a reminder, the first installment was hot cocoa almonds.

                                                 They smelled as awesome as you'd imagine!

Chai Almonds (Makes 2 C)

• 2 C raw almonds
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 10 ground cardamom pods
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds
• pinch salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Combine the sugar with all the spices in a small bowl.
2. Lightly froth the egg white. Pour over the almonds and combine until well mixed.
3. Add the sugar mix to the almonds, combine until well-coated.
4. On a lightly greased cookie sheet, spread the almonds into a single layer.
5. Pop in the oven for 10 minutes, then stir. Pop in the oven for another 10 minutes, insuring it doesn't burn. Let cool before serving.

 Verdict? Very yummy twist on sugared almonds. I found that the spices were a bit more subtle than I'd like, so next time I'll bump up the ratio a bit. They are a bit addictive, so watch out!

Orange Saffron Rice & Onion Relish

Along with the scrumptiousness that was my tandoori chick'n, I made orange saffron rice with onion relish for sides. The rice recipe comes from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics, and the relish recipe comes from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant. In case you have more culinary amnesia than I do,  here's a photo of the rice as a reminder:

                                                              Wow! That's yellow!

Orange Saffron Rice

• 1 1/2 C basmati rice
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• zest of 1 orange
• 1/3 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp salt
• generous pinch of saffron
• 2 1/4 C water
• 1/2-1 tsp whole toasted cumin 

1. Rinse the rice in a colander
2. Saute the rice with the oil, zest, turmeric, cardamom, salt, & saffron for a couple mins over medium heat, stirring constantly
3. Add water, bring to a boil
4. Reduce heat, cover and cook on lowest setting for 15 mins. 
5. Fluff rice and serve


Fiery Onion Relish

• 1 C minced onion
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne (I used chili powder)
• seasoned salt to taste

1. Combine the above. Let sit for at least 30 mins before serving. Enjoy!

Verdict?  The rice, while beautifully colored, was a bit bland for my taste--it really needed the relish to wake it up. If I make this again, the amount of cardamom will be reduced to 1/3 tsp or less. Lackluster by itself, the rice would make an excellent base for an Indian fried rice, and I'm intrigued to conform the leftovers into some sort of rice pudding. The relish, on the other had, was fantastic. It takes 3 mins to make, and really saved the rice. I'll be keeping it in the fridge--it'll incorporate well into stir-fries, and  my husband can use on burgers or hotdogs.

Ingredient Elimination: Greek Yogurt & Tandoori Chick'n*

We had a large container of Cabot plain Greek yogurt in the fridge. The 3/4 C left in the container was taking up precious real estate in the fridge. Wanting to grill, I decided on a tandoori chicken recipe from one of my absolute favorite cooking blogs, Closet Cooking . Click on the link for the original recipe. I love this blog. I admire his persistence, he posts a new recipe nearly every day, and his ability to transform leftovers.

With many recipes, I don't believe in providing exact amounts with spices. If you need more specifics, just ask. The recipe here is by Kevin Lynch, of Closet Cooking, with modifications by me. Because I'm vegetarian, I used Quorn chicken substitute, however, I am sure conventional chicken would be delicious, shrimp, even better.

                                              The Challenge: the orphan 3/4 C yogurt 

                                                       

 Tandoori Chicken

• 3/4 C plain Greek yogurt
• 1-2 Tbs lemon juice
• 1/2 onion finely diced
• 1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Tbs grated ginger
• 1 generous tsp grainy mustard
• garam masala to taste
• turmeric to taste
• paprika to taste
• cumin, toasted & ground, to taste
• coriander, toasted & ground, to taste
• salt to taste 
• 4 Quorn naked cutlets or 1 lb boneless & skinless chicken cut into 1-inch pieces 

1. Mix all ingredients together except chicken, taste, adjust seasonings as needed.
2. Allow to marinate in fridge for at least 1 hour. 
3. If using Quorn: grill over medium-high heat for ~5 mins on each side til lightly charred. If using chicken, skewer and grill for 3-4 minutes or until done. I don't mess with cooking chicken so you'll have to figure that one out yourself. 




I served this with grilled zucchini and orange saffron rice with onion relish. The recipes for the orange saffron rice and onion relish are forthcoming. See picture below:

Verdict? I get tired using the same marinades repeatedly in the summer. This one is outstanding--a welcome addition to the rotation. The chick'n didn't become dry at all, and the flavor of the marinade was nicely concentrated. I highly recommend this recipe, and welcome any variations of it!

*Ingredient Elimination posts include an ingredient that I have way too much of, one that's on the verge of expiring, or an ingredient that has been hanging out unused in my pantry far too long. They are personal challenges of using the ingredient in a way that discourages waste.