There are always loads of recipes I'd like to try but lose them before I do. This is where I can record recipes I find interesting and keep notes on my experiments with them.

I have a system that I've adopted for working through recipes:

1 - New recipes are saved to the Experimental Mouffette and is labeled : Untested
2 - As I'm working out the changes I'd like to make (if any) it is labeled : Testing
3 - Once I think I've got the correct formula it is labeled : Test 1
4 - IF I am able to reproduce the effect a second time it is labeled : Test 2 - if I am not able to reproduce the effect, it remains Test 1
5 - The same process as step 4 is used to graduate it to Test 3
6 - Once I have been able to reproduce the effect successfully 3 times, it graduates to my main blog, La Mouffette Gourmande

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Thursday, January 25, 2024

Making Paneer - Testing


1 - I may be able to make mush more paneer with the 1L of milk. The second recipe recommends 1Tbsp and 1½ tsps of vinegar or lemon juice per 2 cups of milk. My first test used nowhere near that amount, I suspect a typo in the first recipe. As it stands, in my first experiment, 1 liter (4¼ cups) milk produced about 4oz/112g of cheese. At least in this first try. Most recipes require about 500g, which means I'd have to increase the quantity by about 4.5 times. Can I get a heavier cheese using more curdling agent?
2 - I used the vinegar and found a useful YouTube video that provided some good info and some useful visuals. The milk doesn't need to be boiling when I start to add the vinegar, and the vinegar can be added in bits as it cooked. Cooked 2L of milk with 50g of vinegar.

1 liter (4¼ cups milk) MULTIPLIED by 4.5 = 4.5L=19 cups
1½ tsp vinegar or ½ tsp lemon juice or citric acid
1 Tbsp and 1 1/2 tsps lemon juice or white vinegar MULTIPLIED by 4.5 = 101g
  1. Boil the milk in a pan.
  2. When it’s boiling add lemon juice or vinegar or citric acid which ever you are using, while stirring. Add all at once or progressively?
  3. If citric acid is being used, dissolve it in 2 Tbsps. water before adding.
  4. When milk curdles full turn off the gas and set aside for about 5 minutes. The whey should be a yellow, almost clear, and the curds will be bright white.
  5. Line a collander with cotton/muslin cloth and drain all the whey (you can save the whey and use it in other baking). Run cold water through the cloth to wash away any remaining lemon juice or vinegar.
  6. Dry and press the curds by twisting the loose cotton into a tourniquet to force out most of the liquid.
  7. When all the water is drained from the paneer, shape it into a rectangular block.
  8. Now place the cloth under heavy weight for 1 or more hours in the refrigerator before using it.
  9. Note: Do not throw away the leftover whey as it can be used for kneading chapati or paratha dough

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