Buffalo Milk Paneer

Put the buffalo milk into a pan and bring to the boil, whisking to make sure it doesn’t spill over. Once the milk comes to a rolling boil, turn the heat down to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, until it has reduced by roughly 10 per cent.

Remove the pan from the heat, then add the lemon juice and the start whisking, to curdle the milk. After 10 minutes, strain the milk through a muslin cloth to separate the curds from the whey. My method is to tightly wrap the muslin cloth so the curds sit like a ball in the middle, then suspend the muslin over a sink (or a large bowl if you want to keep the whey).

After about an hour, or when the excess whey has drained away, squeeze out as much liquid as possible from the curds and try to shape them into a square. Now you have paneer. Place it on a clean work surface (or chopping board) and place a chopping board on top, followed by something heavy on top of that (I recommend a medium pan of cold water), to squeeze out the very last of the whey.

Cut the dried-out paneer into 40g cubes, or smaller if you prefer, and put it into an airtight container. It should keep in the fridge for 3—4 days, ready for use in a dish of your choice.