Paneer
India's fresh pressed cheese, set with acid, firm enough to cube and cook without melting.
Also: पनीर, পনির, ਪਨੀਰ, panir, Indian cottage cheese
Paneer is made by bringing milk, usually full-fat cow or buffalo, to the boil and souring it with lemon juice, vinegar, citric acid or sour whey. The curd separates, is gathered in muslin, rinsed and pressed under a weight for an hour or more into a firm block. It is mild, milky and slightly sweet, and because it is acid-set it does not melt: it can be cubed and fried, grilled as tikka, or simmered in palak paneer, matar paneer and shahi paneer while keeping its shape. Buffalo milk gives a richer, softer paneer. The word comes from Persian panir, cheese, and it is the most eaten cheese in India, where most of it is still made fresh daily.