No image

Paneer is the most common South Asian and Persian cheese. It is an unaged, acid-set, non-melting farmer cheese made by curdling heated milk with lemon juice or other food acid. The process is similar to queso blanco, except that paneer does not have salt added.

The texture of paneer is very similar to that of Farmer cheese or Turkish Beyaz peynir which is also strained and squeezed the same way.Most varieties of paneer are simply pressed into a cube and then sliced or chopped, although the Eastern Indian variety is beaten or kneaded like mozzarella, and crumbles more easily than the North Indian variant of paneer.

Paneer is one of the few types of cheese indigenous to the Indian subcontinent, and is widely used in Indian cuisine and even some Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian cuisine. Unlike most cheeses in the world, the making of paneer does not involve rennet (which is traditionally derived from calf stomachs, but today may come from genetically modified microbes or fungi) as the coagulation agent.

Paneer is completely lacto-vegetarian. Paneer is a source of protein for Hindu vegetarians.Paneer is commonly served chopped into cubes and fried with spinach and many other ingredients such as garlic and onions.Firm tofu has a similar texture and consistency so it can be used in place of paneer as a non-dairy substitute. Some common paneer dishes:

  • Mattar Paneer (paneer with peas).
  • Paneer Majestic(paneer fried in a spicy batter).
  • Saag Paneer or Palak Paneer (paneer with spinach).
  • Shahi Paneer (paneer cooked in a rich, Mughlai curry).
  • Shahi Tukda ( a dessert made by frying paneer).
  • Paneer Tikka (a vegetarian version of chicken tikka, paneer placed on skewers and roasted).
  • Kadai Paneer
  • Paneer Pakora (Paneer fritters)