Ingredients:
1 gallon whole milk
juice of 4-6 lemons
1/2 teaspoon salt
Optional:
ghee (clarified butter)
Directions:
Place a strainer in a large bowl and line with cheesecloth so that the cheesecloth hangs over the sides.
Heat the milk in a large pot just until it begins to boil then turn off the heat.
Pour in some of the strained lemon juice and stir gently till the milk starts to show signs of curdling. If it doesn’t after 5 minutes, add a little more lemon juice.
The milk curds will look crumbly and the liquid will be a cloudy yellow color but no longer milky. Add the salt.
Carefully pour the contents through the cheesecloth. Take care that the cloth stays together to catch all the cheese curds.
Gather the sides of the cheesecloth together and gently squeeze to release the liquid. This will take some time.
More liquid will continue to be released. You can place a heavy pot or cutting board on top of the cheese to help push out the liquid.
When all the liquid is removed, refrigerate for 1/2 hour before cutting into cubes.
When cutting it’s best to just press straight down with a chef’s knife and not cut with a serrated knife because the cheese may be very crumbly.
Fry lightly in a little ghee or melted butter before adding to your palak, if desired. This gives it a little crispy edge. It is also delicious eaten just as it is!
Adapted from Spicy and Delicious by Priya Wickramashinghe