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When I go out for Indian food with friends & co-workers I’ve seen several people curiously examine the panir and say “Hmm, what is that … tofu?” To which I reply “It’s fresh milk cheese” but somehow nobody believes me! After looking through the two Indian cookbooks that Dan got from the library I grabbed a few panir recipes and they are really nice. I’ve also thrown in a lentil soup recipe here to go with them.

Panir
Panir is fresh milk cheese used as a protein and flavour supplement to many vegetable dishes. Recipes may call for different amounts of panir.
To make 4 ounces (115g) of panir: 4 cups milk + 1 ½ tablespoons of lemon juice
To make 6 ounces (170g) of panir: 6 cups of milk + 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
To make 10 ounces (285g) of panir: 8 cups of milk + 4 tablespoons of lemon juice
To make 12 ounces (340g) of panir: 10 cups of milk + 5 ½ tablespoons of lemon juice

Pour milk into a heavy pan that allows for plenty of room for boiling. Set over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring often to prevent burning. Reduce heat to low and before the foam disappears, add the lemon juice. Gently move the spoon through the milk in one direction and after 10-15 seconds, clumps will form. Remove the pan from the heat and continue to stir until larger clumps form. Set aside for 10 minutes. Cheese will settle under the whey. Drain cheese and either discard or keep the whey (the recipe may ask for whey). Line a strainer with 3 layers of damp cheesecloth. Gently transfer the cheese into the cloth. Collect the corners and twist 1-2 times. Hold under a gentle stream of water and twist gently to squeeze out the excess whey (take care not to burn your hands with the hot whey). Allow to drain by weight for 3 hours, then refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Palak Panir Sak (chopped spinach panir)
1-2 hot green chillies, cut into pieces
fresh panir from 6 cups of milk
½ inch of ginger, sliced
4 tablespoons of panir whey or water
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons oil/butter mixture
2 pounds of spinach, washed and finely chopped (or 600 g of frozen spinach, defrosted)
½ teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons of cream
Place chilies, ginger and whey/water in food processor and purée until ginger is pulverized. Add the corriander, cumin, turmeric and paprika and set aside. Heat oil/buttter in a non-stick frying pan until hot but not smoking. Gently fry panir for about 5 minutes, turning constantly until browned on all sides. Remove and set aside. Add the wet purée to the oil and the fresh spinach, if using. Reduce heat slightly, cover and cook for 8 minutes. Turn spinach to allow even cooking and cook for another 8 minutes. If using frozen spinach, only cook for 8 minutes in total. Add garam masala, salt, fried panir and cream.

Matar panir (panir with peas, mint and tomatoes in sauce)
1-2 hot green chilies (optional)
1 inch ginger, sliced
4 tablespoons of water
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon paprika
4 tablespoons of vegetable oil and 4 tablespoons of butter
fresh panir from 8 cups of milk
1 ¼ teaspoons cumin seeds
½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
2 cups diced tomatoes
2 ½ cups panir whey
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen peas (defrosted)
1 teaspoon salt
½ tablespoon garam masala
2 tablespoons each chopped fresh coriander and mint
Turn on a food processor and add chilies and ginger to mince. Add water, ground coriander, paprika and turmeric. Process until smooth and transfer to a cup. Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil/butter mix and fry cheese cubes, turning constantly until evenly browned. Set aside. Add seeds and fry until the mustards seeds pop and turn gray. Add remaining oil/butter and the wet mix. Fry with frequent stirring until most of the water evaporates. Add the tomatoes and continue to cook with stirring until the mixture is dry and the oil separates from the tomatoes (about 10 minutes). Pour in the whey, add the fresh peas (if using) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook about 15 minutes until the fresh peas are nearly tender. Add panir and frozen peas (if using) and simmr on low for 5 minutes. Add salt, garam masala and fresh herbs.

Mung Dal soup
2/3 cup skinless mung dal, washed and drained
6 ½ cups of water
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons ground cornaider
1 ½ teaspoons finely shredded ginger
1/2 teaspoon minced green chili (optional)
1 ¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
fresh coriander or parsley
Combine first 6 ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour until dal are soft. Turn off the heat, add the salt, and beat with a mixer until the soup is smooth. Heat the oil and fry the cumin seeds until brown. Pour into the soup and cover for 1-2 minutes to let the flavour soak in. Add fresh herb and serve.

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