Paneer is not for sissies

When I first moved to California seven years ago, I cooked for myself all the time. I was dirt poor, so couldn’t really afford to go out to eat often, but I also comforted my lonely self with cooking. I have always associated Indian food with my family, because my mom and sisters and I always went for Indian food together. Since I was little, I’ve adored Indian cuisine. So one night in my tiny little shack of an apartment, I decided to try making my own paneer.
I bought some milk, followed the instructions perfectly, and wound up with…a completely disgusting curdled mess. No lie, this attempt to make cheese was my first utter failure, and all of it ended up going down the drain.
So when I stumbled on a recipe for paneer in my Culture magazine, recently, I saved it, but had my doubts. Bravely, I decided to try it once more. I followed the instructions very carefully- heated the milk and adding the vinegar. Suddenly, the cheese came together, exactly as the recipe described! It was gorgeous. I drained it, pressed it, and tasted some of the best paneer I’ve ever had (and trust me, that’s a LOT of paneer).
What went wrong on my first attempt? I’ll never know, but now I know that this is not only one of the easiest cheeses to make, but one of the most delicious!
PS: We had homemade palak paneer this week, which is my absolute favorite Indian dish of all time. So proud!