on Jun 06, 2021 Paneer is the most loved source of protein, especially for Indian vegetarians. Also known as Indian Cottage Cheese, it is one of those ingredients that is cherished by almost everyone. Try some of the most famous paneer recipes including shahi paneer, kadai paneer, paneer pakora, rasmalai, paneer ki kheer and many more.
What is Paneer
Paneer is a versatile ingredient made with milk that can be used in various ways when it comes to Indian cooking. You can use it to make curries, rice, appetizers, homemade simple sabzi, Pulav or even desserts, the options are endless. You can include paneer in your everyday meals the way you like, and get the required protein for the day. It is also called Indian cottage cheese. It is a non-aged, non-melting cheese that is prepared with curdled milk. It is the favorite of many vegetarians from India. Most party menus would include paneer dishes and recipes made with paneer would be on the top in any Indian restaurants. It is considered a rich and royal ingredient, therefore, you will definitely find a dish that has Paneer as its star ingredient in most of the festive or special meals. Every paneer recipe is unique in its appeal and taste.
Where to buy Paneer
In India, most milk dairies and sweet shops would sell freshly made paneer. Now it is also commercially available in super markets both in fresh and frozen aisles. Fresh ones generally have a shelf life of about 20 days when kept in refrigerator; while the frozen ones can be kept for many months. In the US, you would find paneer in any Indian grocery store or even at Costco. You would again find both fresh and frozen variety. Fresh paneer is generally sold as a slab and is good for recipes that need larger pieces of paneer like paneer pakora. You can cut fresh paneer slabs in the size and shape required. The frozen paneer comes in small cubes and is good for everyday homemade paneer recipes like matar paneer or paneer pulao.
How to make Paneer at home?
You can always make paneer at home very easily. To prepare paneer at home, you will need just 2 ingredients – whole milk & a curdling agent (lemon juice or vinegar). I use lemon juice when I want softer paneer for recipes like paneer bhurji and desserts like paneer kheer. For making paneer slabs I use vinegar. To prepare the paneer, heat the milk in a pan and let it come to a light boil. Add the curdling agent and stir gently. Milk will start to curdle, keep stirring until the water separates. Now, using a muslin cloth or cheesecloth strain the water. To set the paneer, wrap the paneer tightly in the cloth and press it down with something heavy like a cast iron pan. Once it is set properly in about 2 hours you can use it for your recipes. There are 100’s of Indian recipes that can be prepared using paneer. This list is endless! I’ve grouped them here so you can find one easily.
Paneer Curry Recipes
Out-of-the-lot paneer curry or gravies are my favorite. This ingredient is so versatile that you can make easy homestyle paneer curry or a makhani gravy which comes out in bright orange color or white nut-based gravy or a palak (spinach) based green color curry and even dry paneer. Paneer also combines well with fresh vegetables like bell peppers, onion, tomato, peas in these gravies. It is best to serve the panner gravy with some Indian bread. In this list, you would definitely find all your favorite restaurant-style paneer recipes, so go ahead and try them at home.
Paneer Methi Masala
While you are checking out all the paneer recipes, here is one of the featured ones. This one is one of the most loved paneer curries; you would find it with various names like methi malai paneer, panner methi chaman, paneer methi masala etc. It is an incredible combination of paneer and fenugreek leaves in a tomato and onion gravy. This one is lighter, delicious, and tastes just like the restaurant one. It gets its creaminess from the use of yogurt and fresh cream. The paneer pieces are marinated first in a spicy yogurt mixture and then added to a tomato-onion base which is finally flavored with fresh fenugreek leaves.
Paneer Appetizer and Snack Recipes
Soft cubes of paneer can be used to make appetizers and snacks and these would surely be a hit for your party menu. You can even combine paneer with sauces to make indo-chinese paneer starter. You can serve these paneer snacks with green chutney or ketchup or even boom boom sauce. Here are some more paneer appetizers that you might like
Paneer 65 by Food Viva Paneer Popcorn by Hebbar’s Kitchen Schezwan Paneer Fingers by Times of India Garlic Paneer by Swasthi’s Recipes
Paneer Paratha & Rice Recipes
My other favorite is Paneer Paratha, which is extremely popular in Punjabi homes. Paneer is scrambled, spiced, stuffed into the dough, and cooked until golden brown to give us a crispy and flaky paratha. I also fill in onion, potato, peas, spinach with it to make a slightly different version of paratha. For rice lovers, you can try paneer rice recipes like pulav or biryani.
Paneer Biryani by Hebbar’s Kitchen Paneer Paratha by Manali
Paneer Dessert Recipes
Paneer is also known as chenna and is used in many dessert recipes. While you can buy a number of these desserts in Indian stores, the fresh ones made at home taste the best. These desserts use crumbled paneer which as you know is easiest to make at home. If you are buying a paneer slab from the market you can grate it to use it in these desserts.
Chum chum by Manali Rasgulla by Swasthi recipes
Apart from these Indian recipes, you can also make many fusion continental paneer recipes like sandwiches, burgers, savory pies, tarts, rolls/wraps, etc.
Paneer Sandwich by Dassana Paneer Burger by Hebbar’s kitchen One pot paneer curry pie by BBC Good Food Palak Paneer pie by Vahrehvah Vegetable & Paneer Tart by All Recipes Paneer Kathi Roll by Ministry of Curry Paneer wrap by Times food Paneer Taco by Profusion curry Spicy Paneer Bruschetta by Raody Recipes
