Paneer

Paneer (in Persian پنير sometimes spelled Panir or Paner), is the most common Indian form of cheese. It is an unaged, acid-set, non-melting Farmer cheese that is similar to acid-set fresh mozzarella and queso blanco, except that it does not have salt added. Like mozzarella, Bengali paneer is beaten or kneaded. However, other types of paneer are simply pressed. Paneer is the only type of cheese indigenous to the Indian subcontinent, and is most commonly used in Middle Eastern and South Asian cuisine. Paneer is a primary source of protein for Buddhists (typically those of South Asian origin) who adhere to vegetarian but not to vegan diets.

Paneer is known in North India and Pakistan by the same name; however, in Bengal it is known by the name "Chhena" and in south India, by names derived from "Panneer" and "Channa" (not to be confused with Chana, the Bengali name for the chick pea).

Preparation

To prepare paneer, food acid is added to milk to separate the white curds from the yellowish whey. The curds are then drained in a muslin cloth or cheesecloth and excess water is pressed out.

From this point, the preparation of paneer diverges based on proposed use. In Mughlai cuisine, the paneer-cloth is put under a heavy weight, such as a stone slab, for two to three hours, and is then cut into cubes for use in curries. Pressing for a shorter time (approximately 20 minutes), results in a softer, fluffier cheese. Bengali cuisine demands paneer-dough produced by beating or kneading the paneer by hand into a dough-like consistency.

Mughlai cuisine

Paneer is the only type of cheese traditionally known in South Asia. The ruling aristocracy in Pakistan, northern India and Bangladesh for much of the second millennium AD was of Turkic (Central Asian) and Persian origin, and it was they who introduced paneer to South Asia. Due to this, in large parts of north India, Paneer is an aspirational food, and defines sumptuousness in vegetarian feasts.

Unlike most other cheeses, paneer does not melt at normal cooking temperatures, and is used in many Mughlai curry dishes. It is very popular when wrapped in dough and deep-fried or served with either spinach (palak paneer) or peas (matar paneer).

Bengali cuisine

In Bangladesh and Indian Bengal, two kinds of cheese are commonly found: ponir (a hard paneer) and chhena (a soft paneer).

Ponir is a salty semi-hard cheese made in villages across Bangladesh and Indian Bengal. Its sharp flavor and high salt content contrasts with the softer, milder chhena. Ponir is typically eaten in slices at teatime with biscuits or bread, or deep-fried in a light batter.

While Mughlai cuisine uses paneer in spicy curry dishes, the use of chhena in Bengali cuisine is restricted to sweetmeats, for which this region is justly renowned. Most Bengali sweets feature chhena beaten by hand into dough-like consistency and then used in crafting the sweetmeat. The 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.

The Rôshogolla or "Rasgulla" is the classical sweetmeat made by this method. It features plain chhena beaten by hand into the right consistency, then shaped into balls which are dunked into sugar syrup.

External links

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Paneer

Preparation

Mughlai cuisine

Bengali cuisine

See also

External links