Paneer

[myrtleWilson]

Please hit me up with paneer brands that don't disintegrate in the pan...

I like the Everest one that I can get at Waitrose/ocado - but its a bit of a drive to Waitrose and it seems a tad wasteful to drive up just for paneer. I have been known to buy 4 packs at time in Waitrose though! Am using the last of my Everest ones tonight in Meera Sodha's delicious paneer, tomato and kale saag

Apetina is stocked at my local Sainsbury's but sticks to the pan and crumbles up to slightly burnt mush... I have Tesco, Lidl, Aldi all nearby.

Thanks!!

I am no help as I always use Everest via Ocado. I’m sure I’ve seen it in other places though, possibly Morrisons?

I always use the Everest one too. Do you have an Indian supermarket near you?

Not near home user - one near the office about 30mins away but we're still remote working - I LOVE the shop near the office though - it is amazing..

I use the one they sell in Costco, which is Everest. I've also used the sugam one which they sell in Morrisons (and Amazon via Morrisons!)

My (quite large) sainsbury has paneer in two places. One with the cheese which is the rubbish Apetina. And desi paneer in a little specialist Indian section with lassi etc, stocked by the tofu and vegan products. The desi is excellent.

I love meera sodha's paneer kofta made with fried paneer instead of faffing about with the koftas!

I use Everest or Tesco and neither of them disintegrate. How are you cooking with paneer that makes it disintegrate?

@RampantIvy - as I said upthread - I like the Everest one (it doesn't disintegrate) but the Apetina one does - I cook them both the same way.. We have a Tesco nearby so I'll have a look at theirs - thank you!

@DuneFan - not made the koftas but will have a look!

Dairy Valley Paneer. You'll find it stocked in Indian grocery shops

Haloumi?

Works the same but tastier and more readily available.

Sorry, I was watching Strictly and didn't really read your post properly @myrtleWilson. The two I use - Everest and Tesco don't disintegrate. I have used halloumi when I haven't been able to find paneer.

No worries @RampantIvy - I loved Rose and Gio!!

Chop them into cubes and put them into a bowl of boiling hot water for half an hour first. You then don't need to cook them for long and they should keep their shape fine

Tesco own brand paneer

ooh @Namechanger20183110 not heard that approach before - thank you! @Halfling I'll look out for that brand @lovablequalities Hmm is halloumi not a bit more salty than paneer?

@myrtleWilson

Not so you would notice. Just reduce the salt in the overall dish. It has a nicer texture.

Haloumi?

Works the same but tastier and more readily available.
I wouldnt be keen on the idea of halloumi in my korma.
Hmm is halloumi not a bit more salty than paneer?
I usually stand halloumi in boiling water before using for about 1/2 hour.
I've never had a problem with any of the paneers I've bought from Asda Tesco, Waitrise etc. Just chopped up into medium sized cubes and baked, fried, whatever.

I always use apertina and it doesn't do that
Is the pan too hot, or are you moving it more than necessary perhaps?
I'm far from an expert but I can't think why it would do that.

Agree with a pp, Desi Paneer in the Indian fridge section at Sainsburys is brilliant for holding together. Similar texture to halloumi when grilled on the bbq. The Everest one fell apart on skewers when I tried it though I do prefer it for saag paneer.

Just came on to boast about my panneer tikka at our local restaurant last night ! Oh my days it was amazing!

We can’t get paneer where I live, always use halloumi instead in curries and it works well

IMO once the cheese is in a sauce you can't tell whether it is paneer or halloumi.

The soaking in boiling water thing is something I saw Nadiya Hussain do on one of her cookery shows. It softens the cheese so that it doesn't split when putting it on skewers.

My local Asda sells Riya's paneer which I've used both in an actifry and in slow cooker curries and that works great. They also sell it ready cubed which I prefer (although like most things in there of late, they sell it for a few weeks and it disappears)

The Tesco one is pretty good. Stays in cubes

Another vote here for Riya's. Apetina broke up for me as well. Riya's fries off into beautiful golden cubes

It's dead easy to make paneer! Just bring some full fat milk to a gentle boil, take it off the heat then curdle it (use a couple of tbsp of lemon juice or mild vinegar for eg 2 pints of milk). When it's all curdled, strain it through a muslin cloth. Squeeze out all the water by twisting the cloth over and over. Then put the whole thing - cloth with paneer in it - under a heavy weight over a colander for 3-4 hours. This will squeeze out any remaining water and also set the paneer into whatever shape you weight it in. Done!

It sounds a faff written out like this, but honestly it's so easy. It's something you do when you're doing other stuff at home. Each step takes a few minutes. Also tastes waaaaaay better than the shop bought stuff, and far far cheaper.

And no, nothing like halloumi!!