Ricotta and paneer
In India, paneer, a type of fresh cheese, comes in two forms – soft and firm. Soft paneer is just like whole-milk ricotta and the methods for making both are very similar. All you need is a decent sieve and muslin or cheesecloth – or a clean chef’s hairnet, which also does the trick!
Here is an oh-so-easy (and quick!) recipe for super-fresh homemade ricotta or soft paneer and then instructions on how to turn it into firm paneer. Ricotta is much lighter to digest than other cheeses because it has less milk fat in it. Traditionally it’s made from the whey that’s left over after making other types of hard cheeses, but since we’re not cheesemakers we make it with whole milk for a creamier ricotta.
Delicious when seasoned and flavoured with herbs, ricotta and paneer make lovely protein additions to many meals. Try ricotta with olive oil on toast (see here) or in place of the cottage cheese in Saffron Cardamom Cheesecake with a Millionaire Crust (see here). Use paneer in the Golden Paneer with Tomato-y Green Beans and Carrots (see here).
Whey is a cheesemaking by-product and contains all the water-soluble proteins, vitamins and minerals that didn’t make it into the cheese. Add the leftover whey from your ricotta or paneer to smoothies, use it for Light Lassis instead of yoghurt and water (see here) or best of all, make my mum’s Wahay Soup, which is delicious with dumplings (see here).
Makes about 350g ricotta or 325g paneer
2 litres (8 cups) whole organic milk (preferably unhomogenised)
75ml (⅓ cup) lemon juice (from 1–2 lemons) or apple cider vinegar
1–4 tsp sea salt
1 In a large saucepan, heat the milk gradually until it comes to the boil, then boil it for 20 seconds.
2 Remove the milk from the heat. Gently stir in the lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of the salt and leave to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes. The milk will start to separate into milky white curds and pale yellow watery whey. If the curds do not separate then return the pan to the heat and bring gently up to the boil again and simmer for a few minutes – the curds should separate at this point. If you’re making paneer, stir in another 3 teaspoons of salt.
3 Set a sieve or strainer over a bowl and line with a muslin, cheesecloth or clean tea towel. Gently pour the mixture into the bowl – transferring some of the bigger curds with a slotted spoon first can help reduce the splashing.
4 Let the cheese strain for 10–30 minutes if you’re making ricotta, depending on how wet or dry you prefer your ricotta – I prefer it after 10 minutes. If the ricotta becomes too dry, stir some of the whey back in before using or storing it. The ricotta is now ready to eat.
5 If you’re making paneer, prepare it as above but leave it to strain for 1 hour. Then, keeping the paneer fairly tight in its cloth, place it into a wide shallow tray, folding the cloth over the top of the paneer.
6 Take a heavy-bottomed pan (a cast-iron skillet or a griddle pan is ideal) and place it on top of the paneer and leave to stand for 30–40 minutes or until it is flattened into a firm block. Cut into cubes or crumble, depending on how you want to use it.
7 Fresh ricotta and paneer can be used right away or refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week, but it is best to use it within 1–2 days so that it’s fresh, easy to digest and therefore Sattvic (see here).
FEELING
KAPHA
Avoid eating paneer, or too much ricotta, due to its sticky quality.
TIP
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Some people leave the curds until they become really tight before straining but this makes a very grainy ricotta. I prefer to strain the curds earlier when they are still pillowy and soft.