Method:

Take milk into a steel bowl and place the bowl on stove and heat the milk on high flame. When milk starts boiling add cream and mix well. Allow the milk mixture to reach a boil. When milk starts boiling lower the flame. Add curd little by little into the boiling milk and mix. Keep adding curd in small quantities and stir cook till the milk curdles. When all the milk is curdled and whey separates, switch off the flame and allow the mixture to cool for a while. Place a strainer in a jar and transfer the curdled milk mixture into the strainer. Separate the whey and curdled milk by straining the mixture. To remove the smell of milk from the curdled milk, wash it with water two to three times.

Take a paneer making mould to press curdled milk. Place the holed container in a plate and place the holed lid inside. Spread a thin cloth in the container and adjust. Add the washed curdled milk into the cloth. Pull the edges of the cloth and hold it and press the bundle to remove excess water from the chenna mixture. Now place the pouch again in the container and spread the chenna in the container pressing firmly to get smooth surface. After smoothening the chena in the container cover the chenna with the cloth ensuring a flat surface. Cover the chenna cloth with the top lid of the mould and press lightly to flatten the surface. Place a bowl in invert position on the plate of the mould. Place a heavy object like a mortar as weight to remove excess water from the curdled milk. Keep the weight on the chenna for one or two hours to drain all the excess water it contains. After draining water remove the weights and open the lid and open the cloth to find a paneer slab. Observe the soft and smooth texture of the paneer. Cut this soft malai paneer into desired shapes and use in recipes. Cover the prepared paneer slab with a bowl or a plate and store in refrigerator till use. To retain the moisture of the paneer wrap the paneer slab in a cling film and store in refrigerator. After making paneer out of the curdled milk use it within two days---even the paneer is kept in refrigerator it goes stale after two days---so use it within two days. If paneer is not required immediately, store the curdled milk in chenna form in refrigerator as it would last for a week. After washing the curdled milk transfer it to a bowl and add water to immerse it fully. Place this chenna bowl in refrigerator and store for a week. In between, if required, replace water in the chenna bowl with fresh water and store in refrigerator. As and when required bring out the chenna bowl from refrigerator and make paneer as mentioned above and use in recipes.

Points To Observe:

Using full cream milk and adding additional cream gives a smooth and soft textured paneer and hence the name malai paneer.

Observe that there is no artificial thing added to curdle milk---curd is added which is normally available in all households.

Depending upon its sourness, the amount of curd to be used may increase or decrease----so use accordingly.

The whey obtained after curdling milk need not be thrown away---use this to curdle milk next day.

To make paneer slab use the mould as shown here to get a nice shape—if mould is not available, just make a bundle of the curdled milk in the cloth and hold the edges of the cloth and flatten it with palm to form a disk shape---then place this disk on a platform and place some heavy weight on it to remove excess water.

Curdled milk may be directly added into the mould without using a cloth and pressed to get paneer slab, but using a cloth gives smooth edged paneer.

Chenna stores for up to one week in refrigerator whereas paneer would stay fresh up to two days in refrigerator. So it is advisable to store curdled milk in chenna form and make paneer as and when required in recipes.