By Tejal Rao
- Total Time
- 1 hour 10 minutes
- Rating
- 4(105)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This dish of marinated, roasted paneer is inspired by the one served by the chef Chintan Pandya at Dhamaka in New York City, and is flavored intensely with ajwain, or carom seeds, and a paste of garlic and ginger. You could use the marinade on store-bought paneer, but fresh paneer is one of the simplest and most satisfying cheeses for a home cook to make, and doesn’t require any special ingredients. And unlike store-bought paneer, which is generally quite firm, a homemade version can be tender and delicate, and extremely creamy. Just be sure to stir the milk mixture very gently to keep the curds large and intact.
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 1gallon whole milk
- ¼cup apple cider vinegar
- 1tablespoon ajwain, or carom seeds
- 4dried chiles de árbol, stemmed
- 1(2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly sliced
- 4garlic cloves, peeled
- 2tablespoons besan, or chickpea flour
- 2teaspoons garam masala
- 1teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½teaspoon hot chile powder
- ½teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1red onion, thinly sliced
- 1tablespoon neutral oil, such as grapeseed
- 1teaspoon amchur (unripe mango powder)
- ½teaspoon hot chile powder
- ½teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1lime, cut into wedges, to serve
- 6potato or Hawaiian buns, toasted, to serve
- 6tablespoons butter, to serve
For the Fresh Paneer
For the Masala
For the Onion
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
682 calories; 38 grams fat; 20 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 60 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 38 grams sugars; 27 grams protein; 1096 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Make the paneer: Heat the milk over medium in a large, heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to make sure the milk at the bottom of the pot doesn’t burn. Add the vinegar and use a wooden spoon to gently stir the milk. Continue to stir very, very gently for about 30 seconds, being careful not to break the curds as they form and lowering the heat if needed to prevent milk from bubbling over. Turn off the heat and stir very slowly for another minute. Slowly pour the curds and whey into a muslin-lined large colander set in the sink and let the whey drain out, about 10 minutes.
Step
2
Run cold tap water over the curds to rinse them of any lingering vinegar flavor. When all the water has drained away, 2 to 5 minutes, bring up the corners of the cloth and twist the cheese to make a ball, gently squeezing out the extra water and whey. Lift the cloth-wrapped paneer and transfer to an 8-inch loaf pan and, keeping it in the cloth, gently press it into the pan. Rest weights, such as canned tomatoes, on top, and after 10 minutes, gently press out and pour off excess liquid. Lift out and unwrap the paneer and set on a cutting board. It should hold its form, but still feel tender. While the paneer drains, prepare the masala and onions.
Step
3
Make the masala: Lightly toast the ajwain in a dry pan for 2 minutes, then put in a small food processor or large mortar and pestle to grind it roughly. Add the chiles, ginger, garlic, besan, garam masala, salt, chile powder and turmeric. Process or pound until you get a thick paste. Then add the yogurt and mix until smooth. If the marinade is too thick to easily coat the paneer, stir in a splash or two of water.
Step
4
Make the onion: Set a rack in the center of the oven and a rack under the broiler. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Lay the onion slices on a parchment-lined sheet pan and coat with the oil. Slice the paneer 1-inch-thick, brush each slice all over with the marinade and lay the slices over the onion in a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges of the paneer and marinade have started to color. While the paneer bakes, mix the amchur, remaining ½ teaspoon chile and the salt. Remove the paneer from the oven.
Step
5
Heat the broiler, then broil the paneer for a minute or two to brown it a little further. Lightly dust the paneer with the amchur spice mix. Serve hot with the onion from the pan, lime wedges and toasted, buttered buns.
Ratings
4
out of 5
105
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Cooking Notes
Prakash Nadkarni
Nice recipe. Some tips:1. Shortcuts exist: Costco has paneer in the Cheese section.2. If making your own paneer:a. The curds don't need to be intact in Step 1. After adding vinegar (any kind), heat milk to just-bubbling, then stop. Heat speeds paneer separation: the milk changes to turbid, then to semi-clear. (It won't foam.)b. Frugal Indian cooks save the whey for use in place of water (e.g., for rice,curries): It has all of milk's nutrients (minus casein) including lactalbumin/-globulin.
Prakash Nadkarni
Ajwain and dried thyme are interchangeable: thymol is the major flavor principle of both. (In Indian stores, ajwain costs a fraction of thyme by weight.)But ajwain flavor is much more concentrated than thyme, and can end up dominating a recipe (an accident that I had once). So you might want to start with much less - e.g., a teaspoon - and add more to taste. (You can add it without grinding and toasting - just as you would salt or pepper.)
S
OMG, do *not* drain whey down the sink. What a waste! Set your colander above a heatproof bowl. Then save the whey in the fridge and use it for anything: cooking rice, kneading bread dough, making soup, etc.
Prakash Nadkarni
RE: lactose-free milk: You certainly can make paneer with it, since the casein content isn't altered. Milk made lactose-free via an enzyme (lactase, available as Lactaid) is sweeter than regular milk: lactase hydrolyzes (minimally sweet) lactose to galactose and (much sweeter) glucose. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing: the sugars end up mostly in the whey. (In bacterial-fermented cheeses, lactobacilli would convert these sugars to lactic acid.)
nayya3
1. There are 3 variables that one needs to attend to for tender but “firmable” curds, heat(how hot the milk is), acid (lemon vs various vinegars) and fat content of milk (I add a cup or 2 of half and half to a gallon of whole milk- YOLO).2. Once acid is added mix through gently and WAIT, 4 large curds to form and greenish whey to show. Frantic stirring will not speed the process and will fragment the curds resulting in a crumbly paneer.3. I rinse the curds gently to remove acid flavor
Debbie
To my nose, ajwain/carom and thyme are not the same flavor complex as one commenter has suggested. The two may have the same major chemical component, but ajwain is its own thing and worth searching for. I often use it sautéed and in rice whole for its distinct aroma.If you want to take less time, just roast and don't grind the ajwain. The sauce will have texture, but the same flavors. Indian recipes often leave spices whole.Ajwain is available mail order from Kalustyan's in NYC.
S
I am sure that you could.And I also think that you could use fresh medium tofu instead of paneer for this tikka recipe, if someone is avoiding dairy.
Robyn
Oh my gosh, this was one of the first recipes we made in my small town home economics class in 1968 (minus the wonderful spices, that is). Miss May, our home ec teacher, instructed us to add salt to the curds at the end and simply called it cottage cheese. Love cottage cheese and love paneer and will def try this recipe!
Larry
No need to drain away the whey. You can add it to soups, outdoor plantings or even drink it once it’s cooled.
Afshan
My mum breakers the milk with lime juice. Once the milk begins to break apart, she adds uncooked rice, salt and whole black peppercorns. This lemon infused crumbled paneer rice Pulao becomes the main dish for us
Harsha
Is there an alternative to chickpea flour as I’m allergic to chickpeas
Austin
1 tablespoon of ajwain was way too much for me, especially when the seeds were pounded. It made the flavour of the marinade too intense. I ended up throwing away the marinade and making it again with 1/3 rd the amount of ajwain, toasted but not pounded.
Tracy
Quick tip: cheese is much easier to make fresh from raw milk than pasteurized. Saves a lot of trouble.
Antje
I am going to try this. Curious- does the paneer keep for a bit or does it all have to be used right away?
Kate
It’s fun to make paneer—the texture can’t be beat—and I liked the idea of baking it, but we weren’t blown away by the results. Don’t need to repeat this one.
Maddy
Tried making my own paneer and failed. It took forever to heat up and the texture wasn’t quite right, it crumbled instead of slicing. I used store bought paneer instead. However, the masala and further cooking instructions were great! If buying paneer, use 2 packages to get the same quantity.
Stephanie
I'm not sure how to rate this one.....I used store bought paneer and served it over rice and it was way too spicy - not hot - just really strong flavor and I love Indian food and lots of spice. I've never cooked with ajwain before - I think I would use much less next time. But I also think its much better with buttered bread. I ate the leftovers rolled up in roti and it was really good - much less pungent.
allyson
Can you use full fat oat milk?
Julio
Why do you need a wooden spoon when the pot is metal?
David S.
What are the differences between paneer and ricotta? I'm assuming it's mainly the texture?
Jill
i think texture and salt, at least from my experience
Preetam
Interesting that White Castle burger patties are also grilled on a bed of onions which gives them their distinctive flavor
Debbie
To my nose, ajwain/carom and thyme are not the same flavor complex as one commenter has suggested. The two may have the same major chemical component, but ajwain is its own thing and worth searching for. I often use it sautéed and in rice whole for its distinct aroma.If you want to take less time, just roast and don't grind the ajwain. The sauce will have texture, but the same flavors. Indian recipes often leave spices whole.Ajwain is available mail order from Kalustyan's in NYC.
nayya3
1. There are 3 variables that one needs to attend to for tender but “firmable” curds, heat(how hot the milk is), acid (lemon vs various vinegars) and fat content of milk (I add a cup or 2 of half and half to a gallon of whole milk- YOLO).2. Once acid is added mix through gently and WAIT, 4 large curds to form and greenish whey to show. Frantic stirring will not speed the process and will fragment the curds resulting in a crumbly paneer.3. I rinse the curds gently to remove acid flavor
Robyn
Oh my gosh, this was one of the first recipes we made in my small town home economics class in 1968 (minus the wonderful spices, that is). Miss May, our home ec teacher, instructed us to add salt to the curds at the end and simply called it cottage cheese. Love cottage cheese and love paneer and will def try this recipe!
Afshan
My mum breakers the milk with lime juice. Once the milk begins to break apart, she adds uncooked rice, salt and whole black peppercorns. This lemon infused crumbled paneer rice Pulao becomes the main dish for us
Minti
This sounds delicious. Is the rice cooked in the same whey that the paneer was made in? Rough ratio of rice to milk please? I’d love to try this out.
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