Paneer
Alternative names | Panir, Indian cottage cheese |
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Type | Cheese |
Place of origin | South Asia |
Main ingredients | full-fat milk (mostly buffalo) |
Other information | Rich source of milk protein |
Paneer (pronounced
Etymology
The word paneer entered English from the
History
The origin of paneer is debated.
Acidulation of milk was taboo in the ancient
Catherine Donnelly, author of The Oxford Companion to Cheese (2016), mentions that Vedic literature refers to cheese production made with the aid of barks of palash tree (Butea monosperma), fruits like jujube (Ziziphus mauritiana) and creeper like putika with coagulating enzymes, "as well as Dadhanvat, a cheeselike substance made with and without pores". According to Catherine Donnelly, these plant substances may have contained rennet-like enzymes and notes that the "Vedas may include some of the earliest known references to rennet-coagulated cheeses".[10] Lokopakara text dated to the 10th century gives two recipes for coagulated cheeses made from buffalo milk for making sweets using plants and roots. According to the text, buffalo milk was coagulated using roots of amaranth plant or leaves of marsh barbel (Hygrophila auriculata); the soft cheese produced in this manner was called Haluvuga. In the second recipe, buffalo milk was coagulated with Indian mallow (Abutilon indicum) or country mallow (Sida cordifolia) and was made into balls for sweets.[11] Manasollasa, a Sanskrit-language text by the 12th-century king Someshvara III, describes Kshiraprakara, a similar sweet food prepared from milk solids after separating boiled milk using a sour substance.[12]
Another theory is that like the word itself, paneer originated in
Another theory is that the Portuguese may have introduced the technique of "breaking" milk with acid to Bengal in the 17th century. Thus, according to this theory, Indian acid-set cheeses such as paneer and chhena were first prepared in Bengal, under Portuguese influence.[7][16][17] A type of smoked cheese called Bandel cheese was introduced by the Portuguese in Bengal, which is distinct from paneer.[18]
Nutrition and preparation
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
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Energy | 1,251 kJ (299 kcal) |
23.3 g | |
Sugars | 22.5 g |
15.5 g | |
15.9 g | |
beta-Carotene | 17% 155 μg0% 34 μg |
Minerals | Quantity %DV† |
Calcium | 46% 597 mg |
Iron | 0% 0 mg |
Magnesium | 14% 58 mg |
Phosphorus | 39% 490 mg |
Potassium | 24% 728 mg |
Sodium | 8% 185 mg |
Zinc | 19% 2.04 mg |
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[19] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[20] Source: nutritiondata.com |
Paneer is prepared by adding food acid, such as lemon juice, vinegar, citric acid or dahi (yogurt),[21] to hot milk to separate the curds from the whey. The curds are drained in muslin or cheesecloth and the excess water is pressed out. The resulting paneer is dipped in chilled water for 2–3 hours to improve its texture and appearance. From this point, the preparation of paneer diverges based on its use and regional tradition.
In North Indian cuisines, the curds are wrapped in cloth, placed under a heavy weight such as a stone slab for two to three hours, and then cut into cubes for use in curries. Pressing for a shorter time (approximately 20 minutes) results in a softer, fluffier cheese.
In
In the area surrounding the city of Surat in Gujarat, surti paneer is made by draining the curds and ripening them in whey for 12 to 36 hours.
Use in dishes
Paneer is the most common type of cheese used in traditional
Paneer dishes
Some paneer recipes include:
- Paneer pulao (paneer with rice)
- Mattar paneer (paneer with peas)
- Mughlaicurry)
- Paneer tikka (a vegetarian version of chicken tikka, paneer placed on skewers and roasted)
- Paneer tikka masala
- Chilli paneer (an Indo-Chinese preparation with spicy chilies, onions and green peppers, usually served dry and garnished with spring onions)
- Kadai Paneer
- fritters)
- Palak paneer
- Khoya paneer
- Paneer momo
- Paneer butter masala
- Paneer pasanda (shallow-fried stuffed paneer sandwiches in a smooth, creamy onion-tomato based gravy)
- Paneer lababdar
- Paneer Do Pyaza (named so because twice the normal amount of onionsare used in this recipe).
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Chamcham is a popular paneer sweet
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Chennapoda is a popular baked paneer cheese-cake from India
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Sandesh is a popular paneer sweet dish.
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Mattar paneer, a vegetarian dish from India
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Palak paneer, a spinach-based curry dish
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Paneer tikka masala from India
-
A pizza with paneer and vegetable toppings from India
Similar cheeses
See also
- Chhena – Type of cheese curds originating in India
- Kalari cheese – Traditional cheese in India
- Chhurpi – East Asian cheese
- Shosha (cheese) – Tibetan cheese
- Kesong puti – Filipino soft carabao's milk cheese
- Cottage cheese – Type of cheese
References
- ^ PMID 24803688.
People during the Kusana and Saka Satavahana periods (AD75–300) used to consume a solid mass, whose description seems to the earliest reference to the present day paneer
- ^ Company, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing. "paneer". The American Heritage Dictionary. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ^ Nundolal Dey (1985). "Rasātala or the Under-world". The Indian Historical Quarterly. 2 (1–2). Ramanand Vidya Bhawan: 236-237.
Panir is a Persian word, though derived from the common Sanskrit words Pai (Payas = milk) and Nir (nīra = water) meaning milk without water.
- ISBN 978-0191018251.
panir and peynir, the Persian and Turkish words for 'cheese' (...)
- ^ ISBN 9788179913307.
- ISBN 9781610692212.
- ^ ISBN 9781903018064.
- ISBN 9788120813328.
- ^ Schrader, Otto (1890). Prehistoric Antiquities of the Aryan Peoples. C. Griffin. p. 319.
- ^ The Oxford Companion to Cheese, 2016. p. 373.
- ^ Ramachandran, Ammini. "Lokopakara – Part III Recipes". Peppertrail. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
- ISBN 9788173053023.
- ^ ISBN 9789251028995
- ISBN 9780747600770.
- ^ Rao, K.V.S.S. (1992). "Paneer technology — A review". Indian Journal of Dairy Science. 45. Indian Dairy Science Association: 281.
- ISBN 9781845376192.
- ISBN 9780674369702.
- ISBN 978-981-15-1486-9.
- ^ United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- )
- ISBN 0-902677-07-1