It’s impossible to find a person who is not fond of cheese. While a wide variety of yummy processed cheeses are available in the market, there is nothing to beat the wholesomeness and freshness of homemade cottage cheese.
WomenNow shares this easy cottage cheese recipe with you
Advantages of cottage cheese:
- It is completely organic. It has no preservatives or additives and has not been chemically processed to increase its shelf life.
- It is wholesome, fresh and nutritious.
- It is a rich source of calcium, protein and fat.
- The whey water that is obtained after making cottage cheese is rich in protein and can be used for binding dough, while making chapattis or making a fresh batch of cottage cheese. It can also be used as a substitute for milk in most baked recipes that require milk (bread, cookies, pancakes, muffins etc.)
Things you will need:
- A heavy bottomed pan, which can hold 1.5 to 2 liters of liquid.
- Cheese/ muslin cloth
- Something heavy as a mortar and pestle or a clean brick to weigh down the cottage cheese.
Ingredients:
- Full cream milk (3.5% fat): 1 liter
- Sour curd: 3 to 4 tablespoons (Or Lime juice or Vinegar: ½ cup)
Method:
1) Bring the milk to a boil. Lower the flame completely. Stir it using a ladle.
2) While the milk is boiling, add the lime juice/vinegar/sour curd one tablespoon at a time.
3) Stir the milk after adding each tablespoon of the lime juice/vinegar/sour curd. Keep adding it to the milk until the milk curdles/separates.
4) The solid curds will separate from yellowish and watery whey liquid.
5) Line a sieve with a muslin/cheese cloth and pour all the contents into the sieve.
6) The solid part of the milk will remain in the muslin cloth and the whey water gets drained out.
7) Using a pair of tongs, squeeze out all the water from the cheese/muslin cloth.
8) Shape this cloth into a square or a circle and press it down with a heavy weight.
9) Allow all the water to drain out completely for at least half an hour.
10) Refrigerate along with the cheese/muslin cloth for at least a couple of hours.
11) Cut into cubes and add to curries. Or grate it and use it instead of your store bought processed cheese.
Additional tips:
- Cottage cheese can be stored for at least a week. Just soak the whole block of paneer into a bowl of water and refrigerate. Change the water at least once in two days.
- Add salt or sugar to the milk before adding the limejuice/vinegar/sour curd to get your desired taste.
- The more fat content the milk has, the softer your cottage cheese will be.
- The amount of lime juice/vinegar/sour curd that has to be added depends on the fat content of the milk.
- If the milk does not curdle or separate, keep boiling it while stirring continuously. Slowly keep adding the lime juice/vinegar/sour curd.
- Cottage cheese that is made using sour curd is softer and the quantity of cheese obtained is also more.
