Ras malai at a typical Indian sweet shop (bottom shelf, right)

Long before ice cream, before desserts laden with preservatives and colors, ras malai tickled the sweet palettes of Indians after dinner. Made of paneer, ras malai is a simple combination of soft cheese balls soaked in sweetened, thickened milk delicately flavored with cardamom. This popular Indian dessert can be found throughout the country and Pakistan, where sweet shops keep large bowls of the delectable dessert inside cooled glass cases.

Saddle up to the counter to place an order; Rs 10 (25¢) buys one ball (surrounded by the unique flavor of the sweetened milk) served in a shallow mini bowl. Use the miniature spoon to scoop up the dessert or just sip it by the rim of the bowl as the locals do. Eating only one ball just wets the tongue, two coats the mouth, three is finally enough to cool you from the heat of the day.

Travelers will want to make this delicious treat at home. It involves only a few basic ingredients and a few hours of time. As in India, serve it chilled and garnished with slivers of dried fruit.

What is Paneer?

Paneer is a soft, crumbly cheese native to India. It’s versatile mild flavor makes it an ideal ingredient in Indian food recipes, especially gravies. The cheese is made from whole milk, making it high in protein yet also in fat. Paneer is considered to be a fresh hard cheese. It is an unaged, acid-set, non-melting farmer cheese made by curdling heated milk with lemon juice or other food acid.

The cheese is most often compared to cottage cheese or tofu. However, paneer is generally prepared unsalted and without bacteria or animal products so the substitution of cottage cheese is a less desirable option compared to tofu. As with any cheese, it is best avoided by anyone with trouble digesting lactose. People with high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis or those watching their weight should limit their intake of paneer.  It is a terrific protein option for tourists or other travelers of India who wish to avoid meat.

Popular Paneer Dishes

North Indians will swear by their paneer, and there are a thousand recipes from snacks to curries and desserts which are made entirely with paneer as the main ingredient. Tourists of India may also see paneer referred to as panir, channa or chenna, based on regional languages.

When used for cooking in main dishes, the cheese is sliced into flat cubes roughly 1″ by 1′ and mixed into the final product before serving. Paneer also makes a nice shredded garnish topping for briyani rice dishes, omelets, and various other vegetarian dishes.

Popular paneer dishes include:

• Paneer tikka (marinated chunks of paneer placed on skewers and roasted in the tandoor)
• Saag Paneer (made with mustard leaves in India, spinach elsewhere)
• Palak Paneer (made with spinach, closer in flavor and consistency to saag paneer served outside of India)
• Mattar paneer (made with peas)
• Paneer pakora (fried fritter excellent with ketchup or chutney, served as a snack)
• Paneer Parantha (stuffed bread generally served for breakfast)
• Rasgulla (chilled cheese balls served in chilled sugar syrup)

How to Make Paneer (recipe and video)

1. Heat one half gallon (roughly two liters) of whole milk until it is almost boiling.

2.Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon, and stir the milk with a wooden spoon. The milk should start to curdle, forming a chunky white layer of curds from a thinner watery layer of whey. Add more lemon juice if this does not occur, and stir for several minutes.

3. Line a colander with clean cheesecloth, and pour the curds and whey into the colander. The whey will drain off, leaving the curds behind. Twist the cheesecloth to squeeze additional whey out, and hang it over the sink for half an hour.

4. After the half hour has elapsed, twist the cheesecloth again to compact the cheese and drain more whey away.

5. Hang the paneer for another half an hour, and then take it down and refrigerate it for several hours before use to compact it.

Enjoy the video attached as well as the recipe. Serve this dish over rice with roti for a very filling meal.