Paneer and Childhood

Paneer has been made in my family, ever since I was born. It is made in different kinds of dishes and is an important part of my family routine. We don't have it every day but my mother makes it at least two times a week. On the other hand, ever since I have come to Bangalore, I have had it at least once a week. My mother buys extra milk whenever she wants to make paneer. She use to do this a lot when I was a child, but ever since the concept of online deliveries has come into place, she has started to buy them online. Earlier she would ask for extra milk the day before from the milk delivery guy.

Even after I came to Bangalore, I tried to make paneer along with a friend of mine and we did succeed because she had seen her mother do it. But we don't want to make the effort of making it again and again so we prefer to order it from one of the websites. I love making dishes with paneer and I love to cook it for myself and my friends. I ask for advice from my mom and she helps me throughout the process. It is not even close to the delicacies that she makes but it is still very delicious. My friends love the paneer I make.

I asked my mother how exactly did she make the paneer and how did the process start, before she started to purchase it online to make her life easier, and also then she did have to plan in advance to make the paneer. My mother earlier would decide, that she will make paneer, so in the morning she would purchase extra milk, or ask my father to bring some. Then she would put a little bit of lemon so that the milk leaves all the content and it starts to float. Then she would use that milk from the top and tie it in a cheesecloth. She would either keep this in the refrigerator or someplace that was cold. The next day she would take it out, cut it and make some dishes out of the paneer.

Paneer is a dish, which almost all vegetarians like. They are very easily available too. You can find paneer at any local dairy shop or sometimes even at the local grocery shops. You can find it online even more easily. The only thing is that since it is a dairy product, it does not last for more than a day if not refrigerated, and even then it doesn't last for very long. Dairy products rot very soon, so before buying, we should always check for the expiration date. Paneer, since it is bought so much, is also not very expensive you can find it within the price range of 70-150 rupees. Paneer has been a big part of my life and I have a lot of childhood memories with it.