How to make homemade cheese from milk and lemon juice, avoiding expensive and chemical products

For street food lovers, momos are a favorite, and when it comes to tandoori momos, it's impossible to resist their appetizing appearance. However, momos sold in stores are often too fatty, expensive, and unhealthy. If you want to try an authentic smoky flavor, a piquant marinade, and a juicy filling right at home, you can easily prepare spicy tandoori momos on a gas stove without using a tandoor or oven.

The following ingredients are needed for preparation. For the momo dough, you will need 1.5 cups of high-grade flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and water for kneading. The filling is made from 1.5 cups of finely chopped napa cabbage, 1/2 cup of grated carrots, 1/2 cup of finely chopped onion, 1/4 cup of finely chopped bell pepper, 1 tablespoon of grated ginger-garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper, salt to taste, and 1 tablespoon of oil.

For the tandoori marinade, use 1/2 cup of thick yogurt (natural yogurt, drained of whey), 1 tablespoon of roasted chickpea powder, 1.5 tablespoons of Kashmiri red chili powder, 1 teaspoon of tandoori spice blend, 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala, 1 tablespoon of cumin (ground), 1 tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste, 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil (heated until smoking), 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, as well as salt and black pepper to taste.

To impart a smoky aroma, use a piece of hot charcoal and 1 teaspoon of ghee/butter.

First, mix the flour with salt and knead a fairly firm dough, which should be covered and left for 15 minutes. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan and fry the ginger-garlic, onion, napa cabbage, carrots, and bell pepper over high heat for 2 minutes. Add black pepper and salt, then let the mixture cool.

Roll out small pieces of dough, fill them with the filling, and shape them into momos. Steam the finished momos for 8–10 minutes. Then, in a bowl, mix the thick yogurt, roasted chickpea powder, Kashmiri red chili, tandoori spice blend, garam masala, cumin, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, and salt. Pour the hot sunflower oil into this mixture and whisk thoroughly.

Place a small cup in the center of the bowl, put the hot charcoal inside, and add a little ghee on top. Immediately cover the bowl with a lid for 2–3 minutes so that the spices absorb the tandoor's smoky aroma. Carefully add the steamed momos to this marinade and gently toss so that each momo is coated with the spices. Let it marinate for 10 minutes.

Lightly fry the marinated momos in a non-stick pan with a small amount of butter for 2 minutes. After that, transfer the momos directly onto a stove grate and grill them by turning them with tongs over medium or medium-high heat for 1–2 minutes until they develop characteristic dark grill marks.

Serve the finished spicy tandoori momos hot, sprinkled with chaat masala, melted oil, and fresh cilantro, along with spicy momo sauce and pickled onions with vinegar.

Complaints about adulteration, disinfectants, or chemicals in commercially sold cheese are often heard in the market, and this cheese is also quite expensive. Sometimes, packaged cheese brought home for cooking turns out too hard or rubbery. If you want to cook clean and healthy food for your family, it is better to avoid buying expensive cheese from the store.

Using just three basic ingredients, you can prepare fresh, velvety, and soft Malai Paneer at home in just a few minutes. This cheese is not only delicious but also completely pure from a health perspective.

Homemade Malai Paneer:

Ingredients (only 3):

• Whole milk — 1.5 liters
• Fresh cream — 1/2 cup (for extra softness and richness)
• Lemon juice or white vinegar — 2–3 tablespoons (diluted in water)

Instructions:

Pour 1.5 liters of whole milk and half a cup of fresh cream into a thick-bottomed saucepan. Heat over medium heat until boiling. Adding cream makes the cheese very soft and creamy.

As soon as the milk boils, remove the saucepan from the heat and let it rest for 2–3 minutes to allow the temperature to drop slightly. (Adding acid to boiling milk will make the cheese hard).

Now mix 3–4 tablespoons of water with lemon juice or vinegar. Gradually pour this mixture into the milk while stirring gently with a whisk. After a few seconds, the whey (water and cheese) will separate, and a greenish liquid will appear.

Immediately place a sieve over another container and line it with cotton or muslin cloth. Pour the curdled milk onto the cloth. Immediately add a little cold water to the cheese to completely neutralize the acidity of the lemon or vinegar and stop the coagulation process.

Gather the edges of the cloth into a pouch and gently squeeze out the excess liquid. Place the pouch on a flat surface (such as a cutting board or plate) and put a heavy weight on top (such as a container of water or a press). Leave it for 20–25 minutes.

After 20 minutes, remove the cloth, and your perfectly soft, airy, and dense Malai Paneer is ready. Cut it into desired pieces. To keep it fresh for a week, place it in a bowl of cold water and store it in the refrigerator.