"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote in message
...
> In Indian cooking, the term "Paneer" refers to freshly-made cheese curds.
> The following is from Julie Sahni's _Classic Indian Cooking_.
>
> Homemade Indian cheese is similar to commercially available pot cheese or
> Italian ricotta, except that the curd is much drier. Indian cheese is one
> of the primary sources of protein among Buddhists and Jain and Hindu
> Brahmins, who follow the principles of nonviolence and adhere to a strict
> vegetarian diet. It is used extensively in cooking throughout India,
> except
> in the South were cow's milk is scarce.
>
> Indian cheese in curd form is called "chenna;" when chenna is compressed
> into a cake and cut into small rectangular pieces, it is called "paneer."
> Chenna is the basis for many of the famous desserts from Bengal, an
> eastern
> region of India. It is used in making the famous dessert Cheese Dumplings
> in
> Pistachio-Flecked Cream Sauce ("Ras Malai"). Paneer is used in the
> preparation of many savory dishes, such as Green Peas and Indian Cheese in
> Fragrant Tomato Sauce ("Mattar Paneer"). Indian cheese is not available
> commercially, but you can easily make it in your own home.
>
Any Indian market in a large metropolitan area will have several brands of
Paneer, always labelled as "paneer". Before I realized this, I used to use
Julie Sahni's recipe. It is a fair amount of work, and you end up with a
somewhat amateuristic product.
BTW, Julie Sahni's book should be on most of your bookshelves, if your
interests are in that direction at all. Of the 4-5 books I have about Indian
cooking, hers has the most charisma[which you need if you're trying
something for the first time], and it's excellent.
I find Indian cooking very challenging. It's very difficult for a newcomer
to master the spices in a fashion that mimicks the taste of your local
Indian restaurant.
Cheers,
Kent