Paneer
Encyclopedia
Paneer is a fresh cheese
common in South Asia
n cuisine
. It is of India
n origin. In eastern parts of India
, it is generally called Chhena
. It is an unaged, acid-set, non-melting farmer cheese
or curd cheese made by curdling
heated milk
with lemon
juice or other food acid
.
Unlike most cheeses in the world, the making of paneer does not involve rennet
as the coagulation agent, thus making it completely lacto-vegetarian
and providing one of the sources of protein
for vegetarians in India. It is generally unsalted.
(usually lemon juice, vinegar, citric acid
or yogurt) is added to hot milk
to separate the curd
s from the whey
. The curds are drained in muslin
or cheesecloth
and the excess water is pressed out. The resulting paneer is dipped in chilled water for 2–3 hours to give it a good texture and appearance.
From this point, the preparation of paneer diverges based on its use and regional variation.
In most cuisines, the curds are wrapped in cloth and placed under a heavy weight, such as a stone slab, for 2–3 hours, and then cut into cubes for use in curries
. Pressing for a shorter time (approximately 20 minutes) results in a softer, fluffier cheese.
In Eastern Indian and Bangladeshi cuisines, the curds are beaten or kneaded by hand into a dough-like consistency called ছানা sana in Assamese
, ছানা chhana in Bengali
, or େଛନା chhena
in Oriya
, Maithili
& Bihari. In these regions, sana/chhana/chhena is distinguished from ponir, a salty semi-hard cheese with a sharper flavor and high salt content. Hard ponir is typically eaten in slices at teatime with biscuit
s or various types of bread
, or deep-fried in a light batter. In Nepal Paneer sekwa is a very popular item.
In the area surrounding the Gujarati city of Surat
, surti paneer is made by draining the curds and ripening them in whey for 12 to 36 hours.
, paneer remains the most common type of cheese used in traditional South Asian cuisines. The use of paneer is more common in Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh due to the prominence of milk in their cuisine. It is very popular when wrapped in dough and deep-fried or served with either spinach (palak paneer
) or peas (mattar paneer
).
While cuisine in the northern states of India features paneer in spicy curry dishes, the use of sana/chhana/chhena in Oriya
, Assamese
, and Bengali
cuisine is mostly restricted to sweets
, for which these regions are renowned. The well-known rasgulla features plain chhana beaten by hand and shaped into balls which are soaked in syrup
. The sana/chhana/chhena used in such cases is manufactured by a slightly different procedure from Mughlai paneer; it is drained but not pressed, so that some moisture is retained, which makes for a soft, malleable consistency. It may, however, be pressed slightly into small cubes and curried to form a dalna in Oriya and Bengali cuisines.
Some common paneer dishes:
At least three fast food restaurants, offer paneer. McDonalds serves the McSpicy Paneer and Paneer Wrap. In the United Kingdom Subway has started serving a saag paneer patty. Taco Bell
serves the paneer and potato burrito.
or queso fresco are often recommended as substitutes in the Americas, as, unlike paneer, they are commercially available in many American markets. Both are generally salted, unlike paneer.
Farmer cheese
and dry curd cottage cheese
, are similar except that they are made from cultured milk and often salted.
Anari
is very similar in taste and texture to fresh Indian Paneer. Anari is a fresh mild whey cheese produced in Cyprus.
Beyaz peynir
is a similar Turkish
cheese
.
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
common in South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
n cuisine
South Asian cuisine
South Asian cuisine, also known as Desi cuisine, includes the cuisines from the Indian subcontinent. It has roots in South Asia, including practices taken from the Hindu beliefs practiced by the large population found in the region, alongside influences from neighbouring regions and cultures,...
. It is of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n origin. In eastern parts of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, it is generally called Chhena
Chhena
Chhena or Oriya: ଛେନା ) or Chhana is fresh, unripened curd cheese widely used in India and Bangladesh. A crumbly and moist form of farmers cheese or paneer, it is used to make desserts such as rasgulla. It is created in a similar process to paneer except it is not pressed for as long...
. It is an unaged, acid-set, non-melting farmer cheese
Farmer cheese
Farmer cheese refers to most often an unripened cheese made by adding bacterial starter and rennet to acidify milk. Farmer cheese may be made from the milk of cows, sheep or goats, with each giving its own texture and flavor.During coagulation the mixture separates into curds and whey , then the...
or curd cheese made by curdling
Curdling
In cookery, curdling is the breaking of an emulsion or colloid into large parts of different composition through the physico-chemical processes of flocculation, creaming, and coalescence...
heated milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
with lemon
Lemon
The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
juice or other food acid
Acid
An acid is a substance which reacts with a base. Commonly, acids can be identified as tasting sour, reacting with metals such as calcium, and bases like sodium carbonate. Aqueous acids have a pH of less than 7, where an acid of lower pH is typically stronger, and turn blue litmus paper red...
.
Unlike most cheeses in the world, the making of paneer does not involve rennet
Rennet
Rennet is a complex of enzymes produced in any mammalian stomach to digest the mother's milk, and is often used in the production of cheese. Rennet contains many enzymes, including a proteolytic enzyme that coagulates the milk, causing it to separate into solids and liquid...
as the coagulation agent, thus making it completely lacto-vegetarian
Lacto vegetarianism
A lacto vegetarian diet is a vegetarian diet that includes dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, cream, and kefir, but excludes eggs. Lacto-vegetarians also abstain from cheeses that include animal rennet and yogurts that contain gelatin...
and providing one of the sources of protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
for vegetarians in India. It is generally unsalted.
Preparation
To prepare paneer, food acidAcid
An acid is a substance which reacts with a base. Commonly, acids can be identified as tasting sour, reacting with metals such as calcium, and bases like sodium carbonate. Aqueous acids have a pH of less than 7, where an acid of lower pH is typically stronger, and turn blue litmus paper red...
(usually lemon juice, vinegar, citric acid
Citric acid
Citric acid is a weak organic acid. It is a natural preservative/conservative and is also used to add an acidic, or sour, taste to foods and soft drinks...
or yogurt) is added to hot milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
to separate the curd
Curd
Curds are a dairy product obtained by curdling milk with rennet or an edible acidic substance such as lemon juice or vinegar, and then draining off the liquid portion. The increased acidity causes the milk proteins to tangle into solid masses, or curds. The remaining liquid, which contains only...
s from the whey
Whey
Whey or Milk Serum is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a by-product of the manufacture of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is manufactured during the making of rennet types of hard cheese like cheddar or Swiss cheese...
. The curds are drained in muslin
Muslin
Muslin |sewing patterns]], such as for clothing, curtains, or upholstery. Because air moves easily through muslin, muslin clothing is suitable for hot, dry climates.- Etymology and history :...
or cheesecloth
Cheesecloth
Cheesecloth is a loosewoven gauze-like cotton cloth used primarily in cheese making and cooking.Cheesecloth is available in at least seven different grades, from open to extra-fine weave. Grades are distinguished by the number of threads per inch in each direction.- Uses :The primary use of...
and the excess water is pressed out. The resulting paneer is dipped in chilled water for 2–3 hours to give it a good texture and appearance.
From this point, the preparation of paneer diverges based on its use and regional variation.
In most cuisines, the curds are wrapped in cloth and placed under a heavy weight, such as a stone slab, for 2–3 hours, and then cut into cubes for use in curries
Curry
Curry is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of dishes from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines...
. Pressing for a shorter time (approximately 20 minutes) results in a softer, fluffier cheese.
In Eastern Indian and Bangladeshi cuisines, the curds are beaten or kneaded by hand into a dough-like consistency called ছানা sana in Assamese
Assamese language
Assamese is the easternmost Indo-Aryan language. It is used mainly in the state of Assam in North-East India. It is also the official language of Assam. It is also spoken in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and other northeast Indian states. Nagamese, an Assamese-based Creole language is widely used in...
, ছানা chhana in Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, or େଛନା chhena
Chhena
Chhena or Oriya: ଛେନା ) or Chhana is fresh, unripened curd cheese widely used in India and Bangladesh. A crumbly and moist form of farmers cheese or paneer, it is used to make desserts such as rasgulla. It is created in a similar process to paneer except it is not pressed for as long...
in Oriya
Oriya language
Oriya , officially Odia from November, 2011, is an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. It is mainly spoken in the Indian states of Orissa and West Bengal...
, Maithili
Maithili language
Maithili language is spoken in the eastern region of India and South-eastern region of Nepal. The native speakers of Maithili reside in Bihar, Jharkhand,parts of West Bengal and South-east Nepal...
& Bihari. In these regions, sana/chhana/chhena is distinguished from ponir, a salty semi-hard cheese with a sharper flavor and high salt content. Hard ponir is typically eaten in slices at teatime with biscuit
Biscuit
A biscuit is a baked, edible, and commonly flour-based product. The term is used to apply to two distinctly different products in North America and the Commonwealth Nations....
s or various types of bread
Bread
Bread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...
, or deep-fried in a light batter. In Nepal Paneer sekwa is a very popular item.
In the area surrounding the Gujarati city of Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
, surti paneer is made by draining the curds and ripening them in whey for 12 to 36 hours.
Dishes
Dating back to Ancient IndiaAncient India
Ancient India may refer to:* The ancient history of India, which generally includes the ancient history of the Asian Subcontinent, including:*Science and technology in ancient India**Indian mathematics**Astronomy**List of Indian inventions...
, paneer remains the most common type of cheese used in traditional South Asian cuisines. The use of paneer is more common in Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh due to the prominence of milk in their cuisine. It is very popular when wrapped in dough and deep-fried or served with either spinach (palak paneer
Palak paneer
Palak paneer is an Indian and Pakistani dish consisting of spinach and paneer in a thick curry sauce based on pureed spinach. It is a popular vegetarian dish. Palak paneer is one type of saag...
) or peas (mattar paneer
Mattar Paneer
Mattar paneer is an Indian dish consisting of paneer and peas in a slightly sweet and spicy sauce. Some people also add "aloo" to it. It is similar to Palak Paneer . It is usually served with an Indian type of bread . Some people prefer it to take with rice preparations...
).
While cuisine in the northern states of India features paneer in spicy curry dishes, the use of sana/chhana/chhena in Oriya
Oriya cuisine
Oriya cuisine refers to the cooking of the eastern Indian state of Orissa. Foods from this area are rich and varied, while relying heavily on local ingredients. The flavors are usually subtle and delicately spiced, quite unlike the fiery curries typically associated with Indian cuisine. Fish and...
, Assamese
Cuisine of Assam
Assamese cuisine is the cuisine of Assam, a state in North-East India. It is a style of cooking that is a confluence of cooking habits of the hills that favor fermentation and drying as forms of food preservation, and those from the plains that provide fresh vegetables and abundance of fish from...
, and Bengali
Bengali cuisine
Bengali cuisine is a culinary style originating in Bengal, a region in the eastern South Asia which is now divided between the Indian state of West Bengal and the independent country of Bangladesh. Other regions, such as Tripura, and Barak Valley region of Assam also have large native Bengali...
cuisine is mostly restricted to sweets
Confectionery
Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...
, for which these regions are renowned. The well-known rasgulla features plain chhana beaten by hand and shaped into balls which are soaked in syrup
Syrup
In cooking, a syrup is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a solution of sugar in water, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars but showing little tendency to deposit crystals...
. The sana/chhana/chhena used in such cases is manufactured by a slightly different procedure from Mughlai paneer; it is drained but not pressed, so that some moisture is retained, which makes for a soft, malleable consistency. It may, however, be pressed slightly into small cubes and curried to form a dalna in Oriya and Bengali cuisines.
Some common paneer dishes:
- SandeshSandeshSandesh may refer to:*Sandesh - a particular kind of sweet *Sandesh , a children's magazine in West Bengal*Sandesh , a Gujarati newspaper...
- Mattar paneerMattar PaneerMattar paneer is an Indian dish consisting of paneer and peas in a slightly sweet and spicy sauce. Some people also add "aloo" to it. It is similar to Palak Paneer . It is usually served with an Indian type of bread . Some people prefer it to take with rice preparations...
(paneer with peas) - SaagSaagSaag or sag is a spinach and/or mustard leaf-based dish eaten in South Asia with bread such as roti or naan, or rice . Saag can be made from spinach, mustard leaves, or other greens, along with added spices and sometimes other ingredients such as paneer...
paneer or Palak paneerPalak paneerPalak paneer is an Indian and Pakistani dish consisting of spinach and paneer in a thick curry sauce based on pureed spinach. It is a popular vegetarian dish. Palak paneer is one type of saag...
(paneer with spinach) - Shahi paneerShahi paneerShahi paneer is a preparation of paneer, cream, tomatoes and spices. Thick, creamy and spicy, it is a mainstay of Indian cuisine....
(paneer cooked in a rich, Mughlai curry) - Paneer tikka (a vegetarian version of chicken tikka, paneer placed on skewers and roasted)
- Kadai paneer
- Chili Paneer (with spicy chilies, onions and green peppers, usually served dry and garnished with spring onions)
- Paneer pakora (Paneer fritters)
- RasmalaiRas malaiRas Malai is an East Indian sweet dessert served after a meal. It is popular throughout South Asia.The ras malai of Matrivandar of Comilla, Bangladesh is very popular everywhere.-Ingredients:...
- Rasgulla
- Paneer Capsicum (Paneer and Bell Peppers in Raisin Crème Sauce)
At least three fast food restaurants, offer paneer. McDonalds serves the McSpicy Paneer and Paneer Wrap. In the United Kingdom Subway has started serving a saag paneer patty. Taco Bell
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., which serves American-adapted Mexican food. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of "Value Menu" items...
serves the paneer and potato burrito.
Similar cheeses
Queso blancoQueso blanco
Queso blanco, along with other similar cheeses including queso fresco, is a creamy, soft, and mild unaged white cheese that originated in Spain and spread to Mexico and other American countries...
or queso fresco are often recommended as substitutes in the Americas, as, unlike paneer, they are commercially available in many American markets. Both are generally salted, unlike paneer.
Farmer cheese
Farmer cheese
Farmer cheese refers to most often an unripened cheese made by adding bacterial starter and rennet to acidify milk. Farmer cheese may be made from the milk of cows, sheep or goats, with each giving its own texture and flavor.During coagulation the mixture separates into curds and whey , then the...
and dry curd cottage cheese
Cottage cheese
Cottage cheese is a cheese curd product with a mild flavor. It is drained, but not pressed, so some whey remains and the individual curds remain loose. The curd is usually washed to remove acidity, giving sweet curd cheese. It is not aged or colored. Different styles of cottage cheese are made from...
, are similar except that they are made from cultured milk and often salted.
Anari
Anari (cheese)
Anari is a fresh mild whey cheese produced in Cyprus. Although much less known than other Cypriot cheeses , it has started to gain popularity following recent publicity exposure...
is very similar in taste and texture to fresh Indian Paneer. Anari is a fresh mild whey cheese produced in Cyprus.
Beyaz peynir
Beyaz peynir
Beyaz peynir is a salty, white cheese made from unpasteurized sheep milk. The cheese has a slightly grainy appearance and is similar to Greek feta cheese....
is a similar Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
.