Homemade Indian Paneer

Line a large colander with a large double layer of cheesecloth, and set it in your sink.

In a large wide pot, bring the milk to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to avoid burning the bottom (a nonstick, heavy bottomed pot works really well for this purpose). If you have an Instant Pot you can heat the milk in that at Manual for one minute.

Shut off the heat and add the lemon juice. Stirring gently, you should immediately see the curds (white milk solids) and whey (the greenish liquid) separate. It looks weird, but it's the way it's supposed to look.

Carefully pour the curds into the cheesecloth-lined colander. Gently rinse with cool water to remove the lemon flavoring. Gather the ends of the cheesecloth and twist the ball of cheese to squeeze out the excess whey. If you have a high kitchen faucet, tie the cheesecloth to your kitchen faucet and allow the cheese to drain for about 5 minutes.

Twist the ball to compact the cheese into a block, place it on a plate with the twisted part of the cheesecloth on the side (this will ensure your block of cheese is nice and smooth!) and set another plate on top. Weigh the second plate down with cans of beans or a heavy pot. Move to the refrigerator and let it sit about 20 minutes.

Unwrap your beautiful disc of homemade cheese! You made your own cheese! You can now use this in any number of traditional Indian dishes, like Saag Paneer.

Note If the milk doesn't separate, turn on the heat, add another tablespoon or two of lemon juice. Stir very gently, and the milk should separate.