8 cups whole organic milk (preferably unpasteurised)

4 T. (60 ml) lemon or lime juice (maybe a little more if necessary)

2 large pieces of fine muslin

Strain the lemon juice through a fine sieve and set aside.

Pour the milk into a large heavy based saucepan and start to heat on a medium flame, stirring reasonably often to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom or sides.

When the milk comes to the boil, stir the lemon juice into the milk and then let it sit for a few seconds more on a low flame.

After a half minute or so, you will see the milk start to separate into curds and whey. If necessary, shake the pan to pull the curd away from the sides of the pot, or gently drag a wooden spoon in from the edge to see if solids are forming, but don’t stir the pot again.

If nothing much seems to be happening, put the pot back on a flame for a seconds longer. If nothing still happens, then perhaps your lemon juice is rather weak. Add some more, or use a tablespoon of vinegar to pep up the acidity.

Sit a colander in a pot and then line the colander with the two pieces of muslin, each folded in half (so you should have four layers of muslin lining the colander). Once the liquid part of the milk is no longer white but more of a yellow, you can carefully pour the curds into the colander and allow the whey to drain into the pot.

As the whey drains, fold the muslin up and over the curds and tie opposite sides of the muslin together. Squeeze the curds gently to release most of the whey and then rinse the outside of the muslin under a running tap of cold water. Hang the curds in an airy place for a couple of hours to drain fully.

To make a firmer curd. lay the muslin covered curd on a plate and place a heavy pot filled with water or cans on top of it. Steady the edges of the pot with some appropriate sized jars under its handles. Let it press for 4 hours, or even overnight.

When finished, wrap and put in the fridge, but try to use the cheese as soon as possible in the next couple of days so it maintains its freshness. Paneer can be delicate and crumbly, so most recipes will call for you to fry the paneer slightly before you add it to curries or rice dishes.

http://www.thegoodsoup.com/skills/fresh-cheeses/how-to-make-paneer-panir-or-indian-curd-cheese/