Saag/palak paneer

[Jainarayan]

I came across their descriptions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palak_paneer and and a recipe http://www.whats4eats.com/vegetables/saag-recipe I'm going to try to make one or the other. I think saag is thicker, which I might prefer. I'd start with canned and drained spinach, then puree it. I can obtain any number of curd-like cheeses here: cottage cheese, ricotta; maybe even thick strained yogurt or queso blanco? I think I'd look for whole grain naan, or maybe rice or other whole wheat flat bread. I'm excited (it doesn't take much :o ).

[Shuddhasattva]

Namaste

As you live near a large temple, there should be enough Indians in your area that paneer would be available in specialty shops. It is an easy cheese to make.

I don't think anything other than hard ricotta or even hard tofu would substitute for it.

[Jainarayan]

Namaste.

Thanks for the info.

There is an Indian food market not far from where I work, and from the temple, but about 30 miles from home. I was told that's just about the only Indian food market in this area, and where everyone shops. I'm dying to get there. Paneer is on the top of the list. I might try to make it too.

If I can't get paneer, and if extra firm tofu doesn't cut it (no pun intended), queso blanco could work. It is a very firm cheese that is vegetarian friendly. There is a variety for frying and grilling that literally does not melt. It's gooood!

[Sahasranama]

Paneer is easy to make. Take two liters of full milk, one liter of yoghurt. Put the milk in a large pan and cook it, pour in the yoghurt and say abracadabra. Now you have separated the milk. Shift out the solid parts and put it in a cloth and wrangle out all the water. Leave the milk solids in a cloth and use a heavy object to apply pressure on the milk solids. Leave the heavy object on the paneer for a few hours and you are done.

Very simple.

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam: Somebody once told me (in a whisper, so not to insult anyone) that paneer is what people who can't make cheese make. So it must be simple. :)

Aum Namasivaya

[Believer]

Namaste,

Paneer is easy to make. Take two liters of full milk, one liter of yoghurt. Put the milk in a large pan and cook it, pour in the yoghurt and say abracadabra
That must be one way of making paneer. We always squirted a lemon or two (as needed) to break the milk. Also, it is not as easy to make as one would think. Cooking milk (bring it to a boil) is a real pain (in the arm/wrist). You have to stand there and keep stirring with a spatula and keep scrapping the bottom of the pan, else milk sticks to the bottom of the pan and starts to burn. Making it is not as easy as seeing someone in the household do it. ;) Milk can be fat free, 2% or whole (4%), that is a personal dietary choice.

Pranam.

[Jainarayan]

Thanks for all the tips. :)

I read somewhere that by draining and pressing cottage cheese (curds & whey), that makes a paneer-like cheese too.

[Sahasranama]

Namaste,

That must be one way of making paneer. We always squirted a lemon or two (as needed) to break the milk.

Lemon works as well. I have tried both lemon and yoghurt.


You have to stand there and keep stirring with a spatula and keep scrapping the bottom of the pan, else milk sticks to the bottom of the pan and starts to burn. Making it is not as easy as seeing someone in the household do it. ;)This ain't rocket science. ;)


Milk can be fat free, 2% or whole (4%), that is a personal dietary choice.I have found that whole milk yields more paneer than skim milk and skim milk isn't necessarily healthier than whole milk. Some nutrients get lost when you remove the fat from milk.

[Arjuni]

Namasté,

I'm delighted to see a thread about my favourite dish; Jai, palak paneer is such a wonderful combination of ingredients that it usually tastes good. If you do accidentally select a cheese that falls apart or melts, then you'll just end up with a variation on creamed spinach, which is also delicious! I'm lucky that the market here sells paneer in blocks.

Sahasranama is right; full-fat milk is the way to go. Since companies want you to buy their products, and you won't buy skim milk if it's watery and tasteless, the usual solution to this is to add sugar. (It's not so bad with milk, but this is true across the board: compare any foodstuff to its fat-free version, and most of the time, the fat-free will show higher sugar content.) Since healthy butterfat gives you a feeling of fullness, and sugar causes a spike-and-crash effect that makes you hungrier, sooner - I say, get more for your money.

Indraneela
===
Oṁ Indrāya Namaḥ.
Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.

[Jainarayan]

Namaste.

I like creamed spinch, and am fully prepared that's what I'll wind up with. :D I drink fat free milk, but I prefer full fat milk for other things, for its fullness. It makes dishes better.

[Believer]

Namaste,

This ain't rocket science. ;)
True, it is not rocket science, but it is labor intensive. Last time when I stood there stirring a gallon of milk, and then doing all the post boil processing, I swore not to make paneer at home again. BTW, we don't mess with liters of milk or gasoline (petrol) here, it is always in gallons, in the land of plenty. :)

Pranam.

[Gaurapriya]

I came across their descriptions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palak_paneer and and a recipe http://www.whats4eats.com/vegetables/saag-recipe I'm going to try to make one or the other. I think saag is thicker, which I might prefer. I'd start with canned and drained spinach, then puree it. I can obtain any number of curd-like cheeses here: cottage cheese, ricotta; maybe even thick strained yogurt or queso blanco? I think I'd look for whole grain naan, or maybe rice or other whole wheat flat bread. I'm excited (it doesn't take much :o ).

Palak panir is my favourite Punjabi dish, and I know how to make it. :D I just use Spinach, chop it up, boil and then blend, and then cook with my spices and cut up pieces of fried panir. With rice or chapatis, it's like heaven on a plate! :)