• Place the milk, cream and salt into a deep, thick bottom saucepan. Bring to the boil over a high heat. Stirring the milk to avoid burning.
• When it has come to the rolling boil, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Occasionally stir the milk while it simmers.
• Turn the heat off.
• Stir 1 cup of ice water into the hot milk – cooling the milk a little at this stage will help make the paneer soft.
• Gently stir in the white vinegar a little at a time. The milk will separate and form curds and whey.
• Once the curds have formed, stir in about 3 – 4 cups of iced water to the curds and whey. The reason for this isf the curd is left sitting for too long in the hot whey it will become firm. Therefore, it’s important to cool it almost immediately if you want a soft paneer.

Drain the Curds And Whey

• To drain the curds and whey you will need a large strainer or colander, lined with a large piece of muslin cloth. Place the prepared strainer into a large deep bowl if you wish to keep the whey. If you don’t want to keep the whey, place the prepared strainer into a clean sink.
• Pour the curds and whey into the muslin lined strainer and drain.

Wash the Paneer

• Pour iced water over the paneer (while it is still in the muslin lined strainer), use clean hands to mix the water through the grains. This will help wash away the vinegar flavour from the cheese.
• Gather the sides of the muslin cloth together and press and squeeze the water from the paneer.

Shaping and Compressing The Paneer

• To shape the paneer, I like to form it into a rectangular block, to do this:
• You will need to use a cake rack and place it over a bowl or on the side of your sink. This will allow excess water to drain way from the cheese.
• Place the paneer filled muslin cloth onto the cake rack. Unfold the muslin cloth and use your hands to shape the paneer into a rectangle that is about 3 cm thick.
• Tightly fold the muslin back over the top of the cheese, keeping the rectangular shape.
• Place a cutting board or baking tray on top of the paneer and add weights on top (you can use a pot filled with water, canned food or anything with a bit of weight). This will compress the cheese and press more liquid.
• Allow the cheese to sit like this for about 2-3 hours.
• Remove from the muslin.
• Transfer the paneer to a plate or container, seal and refrigerate and allow to chill before cutting and cooking.