Paneer Tikka Masla

Edit: It took me three tries to get it past the automod and I still butchered the title.

This was the first time I ever made my own cheese, and it’s so easy and versatile that I plan to keep doing it. Thanks to u/MrDarkk1ng for his recommendations in this endeavor.

Recipe:

The Paneer:

– 1 gallon of whole milk

– 1 cup of lemon juice (other food acids like vinegar can be used, that’s what I had on hand)

– Two cups of ice

– Cheesecloth to strain with, a colander, some ice. I actually had some (sealed) medical gauze that’s past its expiration date and not fit for medical use, but is fine as a food strainer. I used a couple layers of gauze (this is not medical or food advice, just use regular cloth or cheesecloth)

Bring the milk to a boil while stirring. Drizzle in the lemon juice bit by bit until the curds start to coagulate while gently stirring. Add more lemon juice until large clumps form and there’s a clear distinction between the curds and the whey. Add the ice stop the boiling. Strain the mixture through your cloth and colander. Rinse the curds well to remove the remaining food acid. Wrap the cloth into a ball and gently squeeze out more water/whey. Then, place the wrapped cheese ball under some weight to press more of water out for about an hour to get fairly firm cheese. Chill, chop and reserve for use in the Tikka Masala

The Tikka Masala:

– 1 medium sized onion

– 2 tablespoons tomato paste

– 2 tablespoons oil (I used olive oil, but butter would probably be lovely)

– 2 tablespoons Garam Masala

– 1 tablespoon peanut powder (Cashews would probably be more traditional, but I used what I had)

– 1 tablespoon Turmeric

– 1 tsp garlic powder

– 1 tsp sweet paprika

– 1 tsp smoked paprika

– 1 tsp cayenne

– 1 tsp salt (or to taste)

– 1 tsp sugar (or to taste)

– A blender (I used an immersion blender)

Chop and fry the onions in your oil until golden and soft. Introduced the spices, tomato paste and peanut powder, then fry for another minute or so. Pour in a cup of water and then blend. You could strain if you want for a silky texture, I didn’t bother. Add salt and sugar to taste. Introduce your desired amount of chopped panner and simmer for 10 minutes or so. Serve it forth ( I enjoyed it with rice)

With the current mood I’m in, I would totally wreck two or more of those. Oddly enough.

It looks awesome, and it’s a good thing you passed the automod.

Mmmmmm paneer 😋