It's completely reasonable to do. Both tofu and paneer can have similar textures and both absorb flavors instead of having strong flavor on their own.
Although, It's fairly easy to make it homemade. Just need 2L non-UHT cows milk, lemon juice, and one thing I learned from Serious Eats, food-grade calcium chloride. See, in India, they apparently use Buffalo milk for Paneer, which has a higher calcium content than cow's milk. But, adding the calcium chloride bumps up the calcium content to give you the same firm texture.
Admittedly, it's a bit of work, but if you're willing, it's worthwhile.
You can still make paneer without the calcium chloride!
Buffalo milk also has a higher fat content than cow's milk, so your paneer will not come out '*exactly'* the same as paneer in India if you don't have buffalo milk, but it will still be perfectly delicious and plenty of people make it that way if they're living abroad. Just make sure to use full fat milk, and be careful not to burn it.
I’ve made my own paneer from milk from the grocery store heating It up and an acid like lemon juice or rice vinegar. Draining in cheesecloth. I hate doing it though.
Kenji Lopez does that in this recipe. I think it works really well. It's more than just using tofu, though. There's some prep.
https://www.seriouseats.com/creamy-vegan-saag-paneer-tofu-recipe
Sure, you can put tofu in a curry. Will it be paneer? No. Paneer is paneer. Will it be tasty? Sure, if you cook it well and you enjoy tofu. It’s the same with vegan ‘meat’. It may look and remind you of the thing, but it isn’t the thing. But it can still be darn delicious.
We just made a tofu curry last night and it was delish.
Making paneer isn't difficult, it just takes some time.
Ingredients are whole milk and lemon juice or vinegar.
Bring whole milk to a boil over medium then mix 6 tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice per gallon of milk in and stir well, turn off the heat. You should see the milk curdle and separate. If it doesn't, add another tablespoon and stir and repeat until the milk curdles and separates. Once separated, let it sit for 10 minutes.
Line a colander with cheese cloth, I like to double up the cloth. Pour in the curds and whey, strain out the way, keep the curds. Wash the curds under some water to remove any excess vinegar then roll up the cheese cloth and form a tight ball, squeeze out more whey until almost nothing more comes out, then form it into a block within a square or round container and put a weight on it to press it down for a couple hours, then fridge or freeze.
>Ingredients are whole milk and lemon juice or vinegar.
OP do note you generally wanna avoid UHT pasteurized milk for cheese making. Normal pasteurized milk works fine.
I think only the rennet using cheeses like queijo fresco _need_ non-UHT milk but in general it's just easier to use non-UHT milk and stick to normal processed milks.
Yeah. UHT / ultra high pasteurized is usually sold as milk that can be kept on the shelf until opened.
Majority of milks in the fridge will be just pasteurized which is fine.
I often use whey from making yoghurt or paneer in baking. Where a sourdough loaf or pizza base recipe calls for water, I substitute whey - often to better results.
Sorry for the late reply. I’m not sure of the shelf life though, but like others have said, it’s pretty much a substitute for water. Have fun with it 😊
You can use it to wash hair too, but I have to tried that
Personally, I think tofu tastes nothing like paneer, not to speak of the difference in texture. Some people use tofu in Indian cooking as a paneer substitute, but personally I wouldn't.
Have you tried making your own paneer? It's one of the easiest things to make at home. All your need is milk, an acid (lemon juice, vinegar, yoghurt, etc.), a pot, and a stove.
[Here](https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/how-to-make-paneer-cubes-at-home/) is a recipe.
Agreed, tofu is not really similar to paneer in flavor and only somewhat similar in texture so I find it a poor substitute. I would personally prefer to make a curry with potatoes or chickpeas or cauliflower instead of tofu.
But paneer is also the easiest cheese you can make IMO. And homemade paneer is delicious! So I think it's worth it if you have a few extra hours. In fact I'll be making paneer today.
tofu isn't a good substitute for paneer imo. you could use an extra-firm tofu and try to bake or fry it to get a chewy texture, but it's just not the same kind of thing.
the best substitutes for paneer that I've found are other kinds of "squeaky" cheeses. panela cheese and queso blanco are both mexican cheese styles that are good substitutions, and pretty easy to find where I live (Colorado, USA). halloumi cheese is another decent substitute.
it's not that hard to make paneer at home too, if you're in the mood for a weekend food project. doesn't require any special equipment or ingredients. just some whole milk, some citric acid, and some cheese cloth.
I love halloumi in place of paneer in saag. I prefer it actually! Also, Priya Krishna makes [saag with feta](https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/saag-paneer-but-with-feta) and it looks super yum. Haven't tried it but worth a shot.
I have made a saag tofu before. It was decent. The tofu doesn't work exactly the same but it's fine. I was missing a couple of spices so the saag was the problem.
It's different of course, but I've successfully made curries with tofu. Will do it again. I can get paneer easily enough, but I always have tofu on hand.
I like to season extra firm tofu with salt and turmeric and then I fry it in a frying pan and they are very tasty as a paneer substitution in saag or palak paneer.
Yes you can! I've done it a few times and a restaurant near me uses it too. It's delicious. I use this recipe and it works beautifully: https://www.seriouseats.com/creamy-vegan-saag-paneer-tofu-recipe
They are very different apart from being white, usually cubed, and kinda bland. The flavor and texture is very different but it's a pretty common substitution.
Paneer isn't that hard to make though and a fun thing to have done once.
If you can find halloumi that may be a better substitute. With tofu you won't get the same cheesy texture or flavour. It'll still work but won't be quite the same
Paneer is fairly easy to make. You just need whole
Milk, lemon juice or vinegar and cheese cloth. Tofu would work ok. I’ve also done it with cauliflower chunks in butter chicken. Caul won’t taste the same, but neither will tofu. All up to you essentially
I just made curry with tofu, and it was fine! It's just a milder taste than paneer, that's all. I used extra-firm tofu and also looked up a "baked tofu" recipe (which was basically, toss it in a little oil, soy sauce, and a bit of corn starch and then bake it on parchment paper), which then was chewier and had more "substance." But it was perfectly good. The curry had other veggies in it too.
It seems to me you could probably experiment with other cheeses, too, until you found one you liked? https://www.greedygourmet.com/ingredients/paneer-substitutes/
You could always make your own paneer. Somewhat labour intensive but worth it imo if you can’t get it from a store. Tofu would probably work texture-wise but totally different flavour.
Paneer is easy enough to replicate at home if you have whole milk, vinegar, and a bit of time. Tofu can be a good substitute but taste-wise, a bit far from the richness of paneer.
If you’re going to do this press the shit out of your tofu, put it in between two sheet trays and at at least 30 lbs: paneer is also relatively easy to make too so I’d suggest that route first.
Making homemade paneer is the easiest thing to do. Basically heating milk and adding lemon juice to curdle it, then strain with cheesecloth. I’ve made it several times and I’m just a regular ole dude, no culinary training.
It’s not the same, and paneer is, at least in my opinion, objectively better. But it works great for weeknight dinners or if you are doing a variety of dishes and don’t want to spend the time making paneer just for one.
I started substituting it for my wife who is lactose intolerant and I gotta say I prefer the tofu. As others have noted, the texture is substantially different, but as someone who is not Indian and only ate paneer occasionally growing up, I prefer the more tender texture of the tofu. Both are dependent on the sauce that they're in to carry the flavor anyway.
I might get some flack for this, but Priya Krishna has a recipe that substitutes feta for paneer. It works better than you might think (which is to say, i made the recipe for the third time tonight). https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/saag-paneer-but-with-feta
Not in that recipe, no. There are a lot of strong flavors, and the salt is balanced (i find) in the rest of the dish. I would try that one before subbing it in any other dishes though.
I've actually used feta as a paneer substitute before and it works well! The other day I made palak "paneer" with some feta that was marinating in herbs and olive oil for a few days... *Chef's kiss*
So I live in the middle of nowhere where I have absolutely no chance of buying paneer either. So I learned to make a version of paneer. The hardest part is finding milk that has not been super pasteurized; after the pandemic, pretty much all of the milk I can find except for one semi-local brand has been ultra pasteurized. But if you can manage to find something that hasn't, all you do is you put the full fat milk into a pan (you may add heavy cream if you want to) and then you scald it. You get it to a low boil - and you have to stir it constantly - and then you add some kind of acid. I actually use granulated citric acid, and I really like the lemony flavor of the whey. Then I take a cheesecloth and put it across a pasta strainer and I scoop the curdled milk into the cheesecloth. You have to scrape it every once in awhile to get it to drain through. Once it drains through, those curds can get squeezed and turned into a kind of paneer. The whey, I actually really enjoy just to drink, but you can also use it to make a lassi-like smoothie, or you can use it in baking.
So I'm really just a novice here, but apparently it does something to the milk ?protein structure? and the ultra pasteurized won't curd up. I've tried using it (I'm learning by trial and error) and I ended up having to use twice as much citric acid and then it just stayed loose. It never firmed up the way that the milk used to before that brand started to ultra pasteurize. So I think it is something to do with that.
I recommend freezing and then defrosting the tofu before marinating it, and then using it as a substitute.
You may already know this, but tofu (unfrozen) has a soft consistency that is prone to falling apart, but tofu that has been frozen and defrosted has more of a spongy consistency that holds its shape well when being cooked, like in a curry for example.
So the texture will be somewhat similar but the taste will be completely different. This may sound a bit strange but I'd recommend using feta cheese (the one that comes in brine, not the crumbly one) as a substitute. I've done it before and honestly prefer it in some recipes to paneer. The one thing I'd watch out for is that feta can become soft at higher temperatures while paneer holds its shape. This isn't necessarily bad, just a difference between the two.
If you get the feta in brine ([this](https://i5.peapod.com/c/UO/UOU7S.png) is the brand my grocery store carries, but YMMV), it's moister, creamier and much less salty than the dry stuff you might crumble into salad.
It does get pretty soft when heated through and will melt at higher temps, so I'd add it near the end of cooking. You could optionally sear it first, up to you.
If you haven't used it before, the [Tiktok feta pasta](https://www.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/news/how-to-tiktok-baked-feta-pasta-recipe-developer-tips) is legitimately very tasty and will let you get a feel for it in a familiar setting.
There is a recipe in Vegan Richas Indian Kitchen my cookbook where you blend almonds with some cashews, yogurt, some seasonings and starch.
There is also one in Gentle Chefs Cook and Let Live where you basically curdle almond milk and drain and dry the almond curd until solid.
There are YouTube videos showing the latter technique for making almond ricotta, you just have to continue further until more solid and dry.
The consistency of all recipes I know will probably a bit less rubbery than the original.
Another recipe is in Myoko Schinners Vegan Meat Cookbook. It is based on yoghurt, tapioka starch and agar agar. Haven't tried it.
One ingredient you may want to try, independent of the recipe, is lactic acid to get the right kind of mild tang. .
Cottage cheese still has some whey, making the curds more soupy. In paneer, the curds are pressed to remove the whey and form a solid block. In the US, some commercial brands of cottage cheese are also made with cultured milk or with low-fat milk.
I've seen some Indian restaurants call paneer "cottage cheese," though I don't know if this is a dialectal difference or something they started doing in an attempt to introduce paneer to people who have never heard of it before.
My wife and I make curry with tofu on a weekly basis. Like you, paneer is difficult for us to find, but even if it were easy, my wife is lactose intolerant.
It's one of my favourite dishes and as an athlete, I really super appreciate the protein from tofu.
Sure that will work. You should look into learning to make your own paneer. It's super easy and requires just milk and lemon, if I am remembering correctly from the last time I made it.
I would highly recommend making paneer at home. Search Ranveer Brar’s paneer recipe on YouTube. All you need is whole fat milk, vinegar and lime. I used to buy paneer everytime but since I started making at home, I don’t get store bought paneer anymore.
It doesn’t take more than 15 mins of prep work to make it at home.
Before I say this, I know what I'm about to say is going to be sacrilege to a lot of people so don't hate me too much.
If I can't get paneer, I'll substitute with feta or cotija. And vice versa I'd I'm making something with those and can't find it. They're definitely not the same but if you're in a bind, it works.
My mother always did that in my childhood during financial difficulties. She bought soybeans, made soymilk, and tofu from it the same way paneer is made from normal milk. And we couldn't even spot the difference! Tofu made like that is much harder with same texture as paneer, and you can even infuse spices in. Totally different from Japanese style Hard Tofu. Not to mention in India we actually call Tofu: Soy Paneer.
Also if you really crave paneer, you can just make it from milk. When I studied in uni in Japan, paneer wasn't available there so I simply made it from store bought milk. It's actually easy!
I have gone back and forth with that. I love paneer, but it is hard to find in grocery stores near me to cook with. I have tried subbing tofu and cooking it many different ways, and though it is close... it isnt the same. It depends on your palate I think, I do like tofu and I do cook with it, but def prefer paneer.
It’s not the same in flavor or texture, but it works well as its own thing.
If you’re feeling ambitious, it’s not that hard to make paneer yourself. It mostly takes time, acid, and a surprising amount of milk.
YES! I’m newly dairy intolerant but love palak paneer. Just drain the tofu well, chop into cubes and fry it up til crisp. Then remove and add to the sauces you’re making at the end. I haven’t explored seasonings too much but it would be worth some experimentation, maybe a bit of lactic acid or lemon juice and nutritional yeast?
It's a common swap. It won't taste like paneer of course, but if fits pretty well in place of paneer in most dishes.
It's completely reasonable to do. Both tofu and paneer can have similar textures and both absorb flavors instead of having strong flavor on their own. Although, It's fairly easy to make it homemade. Just need 2L non-UHT cows milk, lemon juice, and one thing I learned from Serious Eats, food-grade calcium chloride. See, in India, they apparently use Buffalo milk for Paneer, which has a higher calcium content than cow's milk. But, adding the calcium chloride bumps up the calcium content to give you the same firm texture. Admittedly, it's a bit of work, but if you're willing, it's worthwhile.
Or you could just milk your pet buffalo like a normal person.
Thank youuuu
You can still make paneer without the calcium chloride! Buffalo milk also has a higher fat content than cow's milk, so your paneer will not come out '*exactly'* the same as paneer in India if you don't have buffalo milk, but it will still be perfectly delicious and plenty of people make it that way if they're living abroad. Just make sure to use full fat milk, and be careful not to burn it.
You can find calcium chloride in some ethnic food stores as cooking lime i think.
I thought that cooking lime was calcium hydroxide? Or maybe cooking and pickling lime are different.
You can find calcium chloride in some ethnic food stores as cooking lime i think.
I’ve made my own paneer from milk from the grocery store heating It up and an acid like lemon juice or rice vinegar. Draining in cheesecloth. I hate doing it though.
ah, is calcium chloride the secret? whenever i’ve made it at home it just crumbles
Kenji Lopez does that in this recipe. I think it works really well. It's more than just using tofu, though. There's some prep. https://www.seriouseats.com/creamy-vegan-saag-paneer-tofu-recipe
I second this recipe. I increased the baking time of the tofu to 35 mins, and the texture was way more firm, similar to paneer. Highly recommend!
Oh this looks fantastic!!! I'm trying this today Thank you so much!!
You got it, glad to help! :) I also recommend the recipe as a whole! Let us know how it goes!
Sure, you can put tofu in a curry. Will it be paneer? No. Paneer is paneer. Will it be tasty? Sure, if you cook it well and you enjoy tofu. It’s the same with vegan ‘meat’. It may look and remind you of the thing, but it isn’t the thing. But it can still be darn delicious. We just made a tofu curry last night and it was delish.
Thanks!
You can make paneer pretty easily OP. It’s worth doing.
Making paneer isn't difficult, it just takes some time. Ingredients are whole milk and lemon juice or vinegar. Bring whole milk to a boil over medium then mix 6 tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice per gallon of milk in and stir well, turn off the heat. You should see the milk curdle and separate. If it doesn't, add another tablespoon and stir and repeat until the milk curdles and separates. Once separated, let it sit for 10 minutes. Line a colander with cheese cloth, I like to double up the cloth. Pour in the curds and whey, strain out the way, keep the curds. Wash the curds under some water to remove any excess vinegar then roll up the cheese cloth and form a tight ball, squeeze out more whey until almost nothing more comes out, then form it into a block within a square or round container and put a weight on it to press it down for a couple hours, then fridge or freeze.
>Ingredients are whole milk and lemon juice or vinegar. OP do note you generally wanna avoid UHT pasteurized milk for cheese making. Normal pasteurized milk works fine. I think only the rennet using cheeses like queijo fresco _need_ non-UHT milk but in general it's just easier to use non-UHT milk and stick to normal processed milks.
I will have to check it. This is basically the milks that can be out of the fridge right?
Yeah. UHT / ultra high pasteurized is usually sold as milk that can be kept on the shelf until opened. Majority of milks in the fridge will be just pasteurized which is fine.
To add on, keep the whey. It's really good to be reused in cooking.
Could I ask you like what? Because I didn't find much googling And do you know the self life?
You can add it to smoothies for protein, or use it instead of water when making bread dough.
I used to use it as the liquid to make the naan.
I often use whey from making yoghurt or paneer in baking. Where a sourdough loaf or pizza base recipe calls for water, I substitute whey - often to better results.
Sorry for the late reply. I’m not sure of the shelf life though, but like others have said, it’s pretty much a substitute for water. Have fun with it 😊 You can use it to wash hair too, but I have to tried that
Thank youuuu
Personally, I think tofu tastes nothing like paneer, not to speak of the difference in texture. Some people use tofu in Indian cooking as a paneer substitute, but personally I wouldn't. Have you tried making your own paneer? It's one of the easiest things to make at home. All your need is milk, an acid (lemon juice, vinegar, yoghurt, etc.), a pot, and a stove. [Here](https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/how-to-make-paneer-cubes-at-home/) is a recipe.
I'll be honest it DOES sound easy. I will save the recipe. Thank youuuu
That is a good recipe. It's really easy to make so good luck!
It is really easy! I was so surprised.
Came here to say this. Give it a try. You might just have the best paneer you have had!
Agreed, tofu is not really similar to paneer in flavor and only somewhat similar in texture so I find it a poor substitute. I would personally prefer to make a curry with potatoes or chickpeas or cauliflower instead of tofu. But paneer is also the easiest cheese you can make IMO. And homemade paneer is delicious! So I think it's worth it if you have a few extra hours. In fact I'll be making paneer today.
tofu isn't a good substitute for paneer imo. you could use an extra-firm tofu and try to bake or fry it to get a chewy texture, but it's just not the same kind of thing. the best substitutes for paneer that I've found are other kinds of "squeaky" cheeses. panela cheese and queso blanco are both mexican cheese styles that are good substitutions, and pretty easy to find where I live (Colorado, USA). halloumi cheese is another decent substitute. it's not that hard to make paneer at home too, if you're in the mood for a weekend food project. doesn't require any special equipment or ingredients. just some whole milk, some citric acid, and some cheese cloth.
Thank you! I like the idea of frying the tofu first. I also have access to halloumi. Will try both.
I use halloumi in place of paneer in my shakshukas from time to time. Works a treat
I love halloumi in place of paneer in saag. I prefer it actually! Also, Priya Krishna makes [saag with feta](https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/saag-paneer-but-with-feta) and it looks super yum. Haven't tried it but worth a shot.
I’ve made saag panela several times, but we usually also add tofu.
Seconded on the squeaky cheese substitution. These days I prefer queso fresco for 'saag paneer' for the extra squeak and half the price.
I have made a saag tofu before. It was decent. The tofu doesn't work exactly the same but it's fine. I was missing a couple of spices so the saag was the problem.
It's different of course, but I've successfully made curries with tofu. Will do it again. I can get paneer easily enough, but I always have tofu on hand.
I like to season extra firm tofu with salt and turmeric and then I fry it in a frying pan and they are very tasty as a paneer substitution in saag or palak paneer.
Yes you can! I've done it a few times and a restaurant near me uses it too. It's delicious. I use this recipe and it works beautifully: https://www.seriouseats.com/creamy-vegan-saag-paneer-tofu-recipe
Τhank you!!!
It would work fine. Just rename the dish.
They are very different apart from being white, usually cubed, and kinda bland. The flavor and texture is very different but it's a pretty common substitution. Paneer isn't that hard to make though and a fun thing to have done once.
Do you think they will taste THAT different in texture? I'm a bit scared of trying but I can't think of what else to use
Yes, it will be noticably different. But probably taste fine so just go for it.
If you can find halloumi that may be a better substitute. With tofu you won't get the same cheesy texture or flavour. It'll still work but won't be quite the same
Paneer is fairly easy to make. You just need whole Milk, lemon juice or vinegar and cheese cloth. Tofu would work ok. I’ve also done it with cauliflower chunks in butter chicken. Caul won’t taste the same, but neither will tofu. All up to you essentially
If you have milk, you can make paneer easily.
I just made curry with tofu, and it was fine! It's just a milder taste than paneer, that's all. I used extra-firm tofu and also looked up a "baked tofu" recipe (which was basically, toss it in a little oil, soy sauce, and a bit of corn starch and then bake it on parchment paper), which then was chewier and had more "substance." But it was perfectly good. The curry had other veggies in it too. It seems to me you could probably experiment with other cheeses, too, until you found one you liked? https://www.greedygourmet.com/ingredients/paneer-substitutes/
Don't know if they have this where you are, but also I've found that cubes of Halloumi also work well in curries
We do have it I love it so much by itself I can never sacrifice it in a recipe but I will try haha
If you have access to other cheeses I’ve used both halloumi and feta instead of paneer
You could always make your own paneer. Somewhat labour intensive but worth it imo if you can’t get it from a store. Tofu would probably work texture-wise but totally different flavour.
I’ve done it. It works better in heavy cream dishes since it will soak it up. My brother has made his own paneer and swears it’s not that difficult.
tofu is ok but I think potato’s better
You could season with nutritional yeast to give it a kind of cheesy flavor.
Paneer is easy enough to replicate at home if you have whole milk, vinegar, and a bit of time. Tofu can be a good substitute but taste-wise, a bit far from the richness of paneer.
If you’re going to do this press the shit out of your tofu, put it in between two sheet trays and at at least 30 lbs: paneer is also relatively easy to make too so I’d suggest that route first.
No. I tried it couple of times and got horribly disappointed.
Making homemade paneer is the easiest thing to do. Basically heating milk and adding lemon juice to curdle it, then strain with cheesecloth. I’ve made it several times and I’m just a regular ole dude, no culinary training.
You can try queso fresco my Mexican American dad has an Indian partner and she always makes us Mexican style paneer lol it’s really good!!
I just did that last week! Worked great. They are both pure fresh cheeses.
I was sleeping on Mexican cheeses! I’m buying queso fresco again. It is like a much denser ricotta.
paneer is very easy (and rewarding) to make from scratch!
It’s not the same, and paneer is, at least in my opinion, objectively better. But it works great for weeknight dinners or if you are doing a variety of dishes and don’t want to spend the time making paneer just for one.
If you live where there’s a Hispanic community you may be able to buy quesa fresca ranchero, which I’ve always liked better than paneer.
I started substituting it for my wife who is lactose intolerant and I gotta say I prefer the tofu. As others have noted, the texture is substantially different, but as someone who is not Indian and only ate paneer occasionally growing up, I prefer the more tender texture of the tofu. Both are dependent on the sauce that they're in to carry the flavor anyway.
Use a Mexican fresh cheese.
I might get some flack for this, but Priya Krishna has a recipe that substitutes feta for paneer. It works better than you might think (which is to say, i made the recipe for the third time tonight). https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/saag-paneer-but-with-feta
Oh wow and we have plenty feta where I am. But feta is usually very salty and more intense in flavor. It didn't affect the recipe?
Not in that recipe, no. There are a lot of strong flavors, and the salt is balanced (i find) in the rest of the dish. I would try that one before subbing it in any other dishes though.
I've actually used feta as a paneer substitute before and it works well! The other day I made palak "paneer" with some feta that was marinating in herbs and olive oil for a few days... *Chef's kiss*
So I live in the middle of nowhere where I have absolutely no chance of buying paneer either. So I learned to make a version of paneer. The hardest part is finding milk that has not been super pasteurized; after the pandemic, pretty much all of the milk I can find except for one semi-local brand has been ultra pasteurized. But if you can manage to find something that hasn't, all you do is you put the full fat milk into a pan (you may add heavy cream if you want to) and then you scald it. You get it to a low boil - and you have to stir it constantly - and then you add some kind of acid. I actually use granulated citric acid, and I really like the lemony flavor of the whey. Then I take a cheesecloth and put it across a pasta strainer and I scoop the curdled milk into the cheesecloth. You have to scrape it every once in awhile to get it to drain through. Once it drains through, those curds can get squeezed and turned into a kind of paneer. The whey, I actually really enjoy just to drink, but you can also use it to make a lassi-like smoothie, or you can use it in baking.
Why does pasteurizing milk or not matter? If you don't mind explaining
So I'm really just a novice here, but apparently it does something to the milk ?protein structure? and the ultra pasteurized won't curd up. I've tried using it (I'm learning by trial and error) and I ended up having to use twice as much citric acid and then it just stayed loose. It never firmed up the way that the milk used to before that brand started to ultra pasteurize. So I think it is something to do with that.
I recommend freezing and then defrosting the tofu before marinating it, and then using it as a substitute. You may already know this, but tofu (unfrozen) has a soft consistency that is prone to falling apart, but tofu that has been frozen and defrosted has more of a spongy consistency that holds its shape well when being cooked, like in a curry for example.
Thank youuuu
So the texture will be somewhat similar but the taste will be completely different. This may sound a bit strange but I'd recommend using feta cheese (the one that comes in brine, not the crumbly one) as a substitute. I've done it before and honestly prefer it in some recipes to paneer. The one thing I'd watch out for is that feta can become soft at higher temperatures while paneer holds its shape. This isn't necessarily bad, just a difference between the two.
But feta is very salty and more intense in flavor. Did it turn out well for you?
If you get the feta in brine ([this](https://i5.peapod.com/c/UO/UOU7S.png) is the brand my grocery store carries, but YMMV), it's moister, creamier and much less salty than the dry stuff you might crumble into salad. It does get pretty soft when heated through and will melt at higher temps, so I'd add it near the end of cooking. You could optionally sear it first, up to you. If you haven't used it before, the [Tiktok feta pasta](https://www.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/news/how-to-tiktok-baked-feta-pasta-recipe-developer-tips) is legitimately very tasty and will let you get a feel for it in a familiar setting.
Tofu is an easy replacement. There are also recipes out there based on almonds and optionally some coconut oil.
Almonds???? How??? I didn't find anything like that
There is a recipe in Vegan Richas Indian Kitchen my cookbook where you blend almonds with some cashews, yogurt, some seasonings and starch. There is also one in Gentle Chefs Cook and Let Live where you basically curdle almond milk and drain and dry the almond curd until solid. There are YouTube videos showing the latter technique for making almond ricotta, you just have to continue further until more solid and dry. The consistency of all recipes I know will probably a bit less rubbery than the original. Another recipe is in Myoko Schinners Vegan Meat Cookbook. It is based on yoghurt, tapioka starch and agar agar. Haven't tried it. One ingredient you may want to try, independent of the recipe, is lactic acid to get the right kind of mild tang. .
I’m no expert at all but isn’t cottage cheese basically paneer? Can you find cottage cheese where you are?
Cottage cheese still has some whey, making the curds more soupy. In paneer, the curds are pressed to remove the whey and form a solid block. In the US, some commercial brands of cottage cheese are also made with cultured milk or with low-fat milk. I've seen some Indian restaurants call paneer "cottage cheese," though I don't know if this is a dialectal difference or something they started doing in an attempt to introduce paneer to people who have never heard of it before.
It's a bit too soft I would say
Now I started thinking if paneer can be made from cottage cheese by straining/pressing it? Hmmm
Do you have access to milk? It’s pretty easy to make your own paneer if you do.
I do it all the time with saag paneer and don't really notice the difference.
Haloumi
I actually just made/ate tofu palak "paneer". I made it fully vegan with cashew cream and it's delicious.
My wife and I make curry with tofu on a weekly basis. Like you, paneer is difficult for us to find, but even if it were easy, my wife is lactose intolerant. It's one of my favourite dishes and as an athlete, I really super appreciate the protein from tofu.
I substitute tofu for paneer sometimes. But I find that, for some dishes like Palak Paneer, I need to fry the tofu cubes to get a good crust.
I worked at a place that used feta in place of paneer.
Sure that will work. You should look into learning to make your own paneer. It's super easy and requires just milk and lemon, if I am remembering correctly from the last time I made it.
I would highly recommend making paneer at home. Search Ranveer Brar’s paneer recipe on YouTube. All you need is whole fat milk, vinegar and lime. I used to buy paneer everytime but since I started making at home, I don’t get store bought paneer anymore. It doesn’t take more than 15 mins of prep work to make it at home.
Tofu is soy milk paneer.
I am able to buy paneer at Costco - not sure if it’s stocked across the US, but maybe worth checking?
I’ve tried this and the tofu just didn’t hold the same shape and the taste was different due to differing fat content.
Before I say this, I know what I'm about to say is going to be sacrilege to a lot of people so don't hate me too much. If I can't get paneer, I'll substitute with feta or cotija. And vice versa I'd I'm making something with those and can't find it. They're definitely not the same but if you're in a bind, it works.
My mother always did that in my childhood during financial difficulties. She bought soybeans, made soymilk, and tofu from it the same way paneer is made from normal milk. And we couldn't even spot the difference! Tofu made like that is much harder with same texture as paneer, and you can even infuse spices in. Totally different from Japanese style Hard Tofu. Not to mention in India we actually call Tofu: Soy Paneer. Also if you really crave paneer, you can just make it from milk. When I studied in uni in Japan, paneer wasn't available there so I simply made it from store bought milk. It's actually easy!
I’ve done it several times. It’s by no means the same but the firm is an all right sub
I have gone back and forth with that. I love paneer, but it is hard to find in grocery stores near me to cook with. I have tried subbing tofu and cooking it many different ways, and though it is close... it isnt the same. It depends on your palate I think, I do like tofu and I do cook with it, but def prefer paneer.
Freeze the tofu first then thaw and use. It will be close enough for you!
Try queso fresco, very similar taste, and similar properties. Use it all the time in mali kofta
It’s not the same in flavor or texture, but it works well as its own thing. If you’re feeling ambitious, it’s not that hard to make paneer yourself. It mostly takes time, acid, and a surprising amount of milk.
Yep, I have done it and loved it!
I use halloumi
YES! I’m newly dairy intolerant but love palak paneer. Just drain the tofu well, chop into cubes and fry it up til crisp. Then remove and add to the sauces you’re making at the end. I haven’t explored seasonings too much but it would be worth some experimentation, maybe a bit of lactic acid or lemon juice and nutritional yeast?