Ponir, Paneer, Chhenna, Cheese….
Long ago, a visitor on my site asked me the following - “Growing up in Calcutta sometimes when people would come from Bangladesh
they would bring a big slab of Bangladeshi Cheese that was hard and very
porous (lots of holes in ‘em) and very very salty but delicious in small
doses. It is white in color and I hear is the main and possibly only
popular cheese made there.
My question is is there any place here in the US or Western world where
this might be made commerically for sale to American homes (I live in Wa
state). Or alternative, maybe if I can find a home-kitchen-recipe for it
to make for myself at home?”
Answer : I thought I should republish it here for some interesting reading….
Your question made me search the Internet and I found that the Bangladeshi
cheese is called PONIR instead of paneer. You may be able to find Paneer/Ponir in Indian grocery shops.
PONIR is a semi-hard ripened cheese. Its body is white an sows gas holes.
Its texture is waxy and it has a slightly salty to salty taste. PONIR has
a round shape and its weight is 1-2 kg.
Milk is heated to 65-70oC for 30 minutes; 0.5-1 litre of mesophilic
culture (Lactobacillus and Streptococcus) is added per 100 litre of milk
as starter. Coagulation, obtained with 20-30 ml of liquid rennet per 100
litres, takes 1 hour. After coagulation, the coagulum is ladled in layers
in a bamboo frame lined with a cheese cloth. Then, curd is pressed for 2
hours under a pressure of 2 kg of curd. After taking it out of the cloth,
the cheese cake is cut in 10 to 12 cm side cubes and dipped in chilled
water to firm the curd. Subsequently, salt is spread on the curd pieces at
room temperature. Cheese is kept in bamboo made pots covered with a
polyethylene film. It is ripened for 4 to 6 weeks at room temperature and
can be stored for 6 months.
How to make “Paneer” as they know it in the Northern part of India :
Ingredients
Milk - 1 litre
Citric Acid or Lemon (juice) - 1/2 tsp
Water - 2 tbsp
Method
Dissolve the citric acid in water.
Bring milk to boil, stirring continuously.
Add the acid solution gradually, while stirring.
When the milk curdles fully, switch off the gas.
Cover for 3-4 minutes.
Drain into a muslin cloth.
Hold pouch under running water.
Press out excess water.
Shape and place cloth under heavy weight required (stone slab) for 2-3 hours before using as required.
Hope this helps,
Sonzy.
