Celebrating the Indian Cheese, Paneer

Paneer holds a special place in the hearts of many, celebrated as the hero on dining tables, especially in South Asian households worldwide. For cheese lovers, even the estimated 20,000 varieties aren’t enough for decadent dips, lush cheese boards, rich bakes, and cheesy sandwiches. Such is the power of cheese, and Paneer exemplifies this with its versatility, fitting seamlessly into a wide range of Indian dishes.

This extremely mild, milky, soft, white, non-processed, non-aged cheese pleases the Indian palate in many avatars. Be it creamy spinach and Paneer curry or Paneer and pepper curry, there are umpteen classic Indian dishes that use Paneer cubes as the main protagonist. Today, this cheese has increased its scope of use to include paneer-stuffed flatbreads, deep-fried as pakoras, stuffed in samosas, and eaten in scrambled form. We are spoilt for choice, indeed!

Paneer is traditionally made by curdling milk, generally cow or buffalo milk, with an acidic agent like lime or lemon juice or white vinegar. What you get is marble white cheese in appearance, having a firm, cohesive, and spongy body and a slightly sweet flavour. This alternative source of protein is commercially available in supermarkets, sold as solid blocks or cubes in plastic vacuum or laminated packages. You can find paneer in the cheese section in most super markets including Morrisons, Tesco’s, Waitrose, and Sainsbury’s.  

There are plenty of theories about when paneer was invented. Some Indian food historians have mentioned that paneer and the concept of curdling milk came to India via the Portuguese in Bengal. Other theories suggest that the Persian and Afghani rulers introduced this diary product. The name ‘Paneer’ is similar to the word ‘Peynir’, which is a generic word used for cheese in Persia. Both theories believe that paneer came to India around the 16th or 17th centuries.

As an Indian home cook, culinary teacher, and cookbook author, Paneer recipes are an integral part of my Indian food stories. Not only do I teach paneer-based recipes, but I also do demonstrations at food festival cookery theatres showcasing paneer as the main ingredient. I am at the Great Malvern Food Festival on 6th July at the Priory park at 1.30 pm sharing a paneer recipe from my debut cookbook, Garnish with Garam Masala. The cookbook has many paneer curry recipes including Paneer Makhani, Spinach Paneer, and Paneer and Peas, to name a few.

So, in a nutshell, grill it, fry it, cook it in curries or eat it raw, this lovable and versatile cheese has our heart!