Instructions

Place the milk in a pot and heat just so that it boils and then take it off the heat.  I like to stir frequently with a whisk, scraping the bottom of the pot, so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pot.  You need to make sure that you remove it from the heat immediately after it starts to bubble, otherwise the milk will easily boil over and make a huge mess!

Once you reach this stage, add the lemon juice and stir.  The milk should start to separate into curds and whey.  Keep stirring until the milk has completely separated.  If the milk does not separate completely, add some more lemon juice until it does.  See the picture below, for what the curds and whey should look like.  It is pretty amazing when it happens!

Once this has happened you will need to strain the curds from the whey.  I layer two sheets of cheese cloth in a colander and then pour the mixture in.  You can either save the whey to use for something else, or just place the colander in the sink and drain the whey.   At this point I also add some salt and stir it around in the whey.

Once the mixture is cool enough, bundle the cheese cloth up and squeeze out as much whey as possible.  Flatten the cheese into a 1" thick round disk, and place in a flat bowl.  Place another flat bowl on top and then weight it down with a large can or jar; I used canned tomatoes.  Let it press for at least 1 hour.  The paneer is now ready to use, or you can refrigerate it for up to a week!