Paneer!

I tasted paneer for the first time about 2 months ago at our friends' Shashi and Anu's house. When I lifted the first bite to my mouth I was expecting the taste and eggy texure of tofu - instead I was met with a creamy texture and mild taste - could it be cheese?? Well, I wasn't too far off. Paneer in an unaged, non-melting cheese that hails from the Indian continent. This protein-rich food is a great subsitute for meat, tofu or beans. You can of course buy it at some supermarkets but once you see how easy this is to make you won't bother. Plus, I think it's important to know what's in your food - and what better way to control what goes into your body than making your food yourself?

Paneer

• 1 litre whole milk
• 2-3 tsp white vinegar (you can also use lemon juice, which might require more or citric acid, which will require less)

Pour the milk into a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil (not a rolling boil mind you, but you want to see it bubbling!), stirring often.

Have a colander ready in the sink lined with a clean tea towel or cheesecloth (*some people keep the whey as they prize its healthful qualities and I've read that some water their plants with it rather than waste it - you be the judge).

Maintaining the milk at a boil, slowly add, one teaspoon at a time, white vinegar. Stir well with every teaspoon that you add until you see the consistency pictured below. What you are seeing is the whey separating from the curds.

Once you reach this point remove the pot from the heat and pour all the contents into the lined colander.

Twist the cloth up to squeeze out the excess whey, all the while running it under cold water as it will be hot. Continue to squeeze and run under cold water until the paneer feels cool through the cloth. Finally, stop running water over the paneer and wring out any excess water.

Open up the cloth and scoop out the crumbly paneer out into a dish. You want to press the paneer so that it will be solid like a soft cheese so that you can cut into cubes or as you please. The lid should fit snugly inside the dish and then be weighted as in the picture below.

Put pressed paneer, weight and all, into the fridge and let set for 2-3 hours.

Turn out the cheese, you may need to gently loosen it from the edges of the bowl with a knife.

I like to serve this in a curry, adding at the last and gently stirring it in to warm through. In this form you need to be gentle with it or it will fall apart. You can also fry it up as it does not melt, creating a pleasing look and adding more to the texture. Add paneer to any dish that you might add cubed chicken or tofu too, and especially to curries.

Enjoy! And remember...this IS easy, just try it!

Shrimp and Coconut Curry

In this chilly weather it's nice to eat something that will warm you up - physically and mentally. This recipe for Thai Shrimp Coconut Curry will give you nice mental images of warmer places with flavours of coconut and lemongrass, and the heat from the dish will warm your bones and your stomach.

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Shrimp and Coconut Curry

Serves 3-4

• 1 lb large raw shrimp, deveined and peeled
• Salt
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground anise seed
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp green thai curry
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 1¾ cups coconut milk (I enjoy the Arroy-D brand)

Rub shrimp with salt and set aside (I read that rubbing shrimp with salt lightly cures them, making them succulent). Dry-roast the mustard seeds quickly, then add the other spices. Stir and shake the pan; when the aroma rises, remove the spices from the pan and let cool.

Heat the oil in a heavy pan and fry the green curry paste for 2-3 minutes. Add the onions and stir for a few minutes more. Add the spices and the coconut milk, and simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Put in the shrimp and simmer for 4-6 minutes, until they are cooked through. Do not overcook or they will be tough. Serve with basmati rice.

Enjoy!