Do you love eating Paneer? Have you despaired of the frozen tasteless paneer blocks available in the market? If yes, then this post is worth reading for you. Here in this article, we will discuss how you can make Paneer in an instant pot easily.
Paneer is a fresh Indian cottage cheese that is used extensively in a variety of Indian cuisines. If you are vegetarian and find it challenging to meet your protein intake, there is no need to worry. Paneer can be a vital ingredient that provides the necessary proteins you are looking for, but it also adds taste and delicacy to your meal.
What is the difference between Paneer and Tofu
Paneer has a unique and distinctive taste when compared with tofu. Also, its texture is much softer than tofu.
What is the difference between Cheese and Paneer?
Paneer is a fresh cheese made by curdling the milk with lemon juice, vinegar, curd (yogurt), or citric acid. Unlike other types of cheese, it neither aged nor fermented. Thus, it can be used right away after prepared. It gets firm and non-melting, making itself quite useful in grilling purposes.
Why Use Instant Pot for making Paneer at Home
Paneer can be the easiest recipe to make at home. I prepare it by boiling fresh milk in a saucepan or a stovetop and then curdling by lemon juice or vinegar. But the only problem with this method is that milk gets sticky at the bottom near the surface of the saucepan.
It gets flecks of brown that spoil the cheese—ever experienced such thing? This is hard to swallow. I never want to compromise on the taste and texture of the cheese. That’s where instant pot comes into play.
There is no such phenomenon if we use an instant pot for boiling milk. It neither sticks with it and nor burns at all in it. Happy?
The following are the reasons that will enable you to know why it is good to make Paneer in an instant pot.
- Easy to make
- No babysitting
- Milk boils under pressure, and curd separates easily.
- Still soft and sweet
Preparing Paneer in an Instant Pot
Here are the complete instructions for preparing Paneer in an instant pot. When it comes to making Paneer in an instant pot, all you need is whole milk and lemon juice or vinegar.
Instructions
Homemade Paneer is much better in quality and taste than the frozen ones available in the market. It remains hard after thawing and lacks freshness and milky texture. Let’s learn how to make it in an instant pot by looking at the following points.
- Pour 2 liters of milk in steel insert of the pot. Cut a lemon into half and squeeze its juice in the milk after removing the seeds. You can use vinegar and any other acidic or citrus item for curdling your milk.
- Ensure to secure lid on the instant pot and set it on high pressure for nearly 2 minutes. The steam handle should be sealed to make perfect curdling. Wait 5 minutes before releasing the pressure. The milk will be curdled as we open the pot.
- The next step is to take a bowl and place a strainer or colander over it. Cover it with a neat & clean piece of cheesecloth or muslin.
- Pour the curdled milk in the bowl, the whey will get pass through the cheesecloth to bottom, and milk solids will remain in it. The liquid can be discarded, or we can use it in making dough or roti (Indian bread).
- Put the corners of cheesecloth in hands and try to squeeze it to make sure all the liquid is drained out. The cheese in the cheesecloth will be hot at this point. Make sure to let the water run from outside of the cheesecloth. Squeeze out all the remaining water, and you will be left with a ball of cheese in the cheesecloth. Put this on a plate.
- Now, there is a need to compress this ball of cheese with a heavyweight kitchen utensil. Make sure that it will not crumble after squeezing. Anything substantial can be used for compression. We will use a plate and compress it by applying force on it. Continue to compress it for 20-30 minutes.
- Remove the weight and put it in a refrigerator for 30 minutes, at least. Then, take it out and remove the cheesecloth from it. The Paneer is ready to be cut into pieces and use in your meal as you wish.
Tips for Perfection
Here are a few tips to achieve perfection while preparing Paneer.
- For making a super soft and tasty Paneer at home, use full-fat milk instead of skimmed milk; otherwise, you will not be able to get the perfect curdling and solid texture of the milk.
- Two liters provides 400g of Paneer. You can make it less or more according to our needs and desire, keeping in mind the capacity of the instant pot.
- After removing the curdled milk from the pot, clean the lid as soon as possible. The cheese gets stick on the lid when we release the pressure, and it needs to be quickly cleaned. Otherwise, it will dry out and becomes difficult to remove.
- We can use vinegar or any other citrus containing items for curdling instead of lemon juice according to our taste.
Conclusion
We hope this article helped you in preparing Paneer quickly from the comfort of your home. If you are still facing any problems, you can ask us in the comment box.
