Saturday, October 8, 2016

Chapati (Roti) made with plain homemade whey liquid

Many of you know how to make chapatis (Roti) or Fulka Rotli (puffed Roti) so I tried and used left over whey liquid when I made Paneer (Indian curd un-aged cheese). The Rotis came out softer and remained softer even after putting it in the fridge for couple of days. Please note that the paneer whey when made with lemon juice is milder in taste compared to the whey drained from yogurt.


                     
   
Here are my 3 ingredients and measurements. (Makes 32 Rotis, depending upon your likeness of the bigger or smaller (thicker or thinner) chapatis.

  • 800 gm (3 cups), Wheat Flour (Any 100% whole wheat Atta)
  • 2 cups or just a little more if you need, Paneer Whey Liquid
  • 1 tablespoon, Oil 
  • Method:
  • Mix the flour and oil together and add the Whey liquid slowly and kneed the flour well. If you need to coat it with oil and flour you may do that. Keep it aside covered for 10-15 minutes. 
  • Roll the Rotis and first cook it in a skillet on medium heat and then roast it directly on the gas stove. It puffs up really well. You have to be quick to turn it and take aside immediately, so it does not burn up. 
  • They come out very soft and even if you keep it in the fridge they remain soft. When you need to use, remove from the fridge and microwave it or heat it on the stove for 10 or so seconds before eating. 
  • Blessings
  • KC -Kalpana Christian Sharma (Mrs)

Nutrition Facts
Servings 32.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 100
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 1 g1 %
Saturated Fat 0 g1 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg0 %
Sodium 0 mg0 %
Potassium 0 mg0 %
Total Carbohydrate 19 g6 %
Dietary Fiber 4 g16 %
Sugars 2 g
Protein 4 g8 %
Vitamin A0 %
Vitamin C0 %
Calcium2 %
Iron0 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.




Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Homemade Paneer (Indian curds/ un-aged cheese)


Homemade Paneer (Indian cheese) Recipe:

This is very economical and healthy option compared to store bought cheese. Only 2 Ingredients needed:

1 gallon of milk (you can use any fat free/1%/2% or whole milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
(1 gallon of milk will produce 19 oz that is 1 pound and 3 oz of Paneer.)

Method:
1. Heat the milk on medium low heat so that it does not burn at the bottom, always choose a heavy bottomed pot when heating milk; when it is almost to a boiling point, turn off the heat, add the lemon juice and let the whey and curds separate. You will see it form.

2. Take a cheese cloth/muslin cloth/a thin lining cloth/or a thin clean pillow case and line it up in a colander with a vessel below to collect the drained whey as you pour your 'messed up' milk that you have just turned to curds and whey. :)  (You can use this whey too for many other stuff so I would advise you not to drain it down the sink)

3. Tie the curds carefully in that cloth and hang it in a secure place to let it drain (check my yogurt recipe on this blog). When all the whey liquid is drained you can squeeze out the whey by twisting the the curds still in the cloth, with your hands. To further get the wet/dry consistency, flatten it while still in the cloth and in a colander and add a little heavy weight on it, either a plate or heavy pan/pot filled with water to add weight..etc. Let it flatten to an inch or so size and let the excess water(whey) continue to drain. I kept it overnight/8 hours.

4. You can then see it will look thick unformed curds and ready to use it; you can crumble if the recipe requires, in your salads, samosas etc.. You can cut into cubes and eat it as fresh. Or You can fit it in an air tight container and refrigerate.

Now know that if you try to deep fry or grill it it may crumble at this level so in order to have hard and more firm consistency I needed to bind it. For that I have tried two things. I have tried corn starch and it holds cube or whatever shape you want really great.(Corn starch would be added carbs) And another time I tried 2 egg whites, that works well too. And hey, that egg white is added protein. So this is the new thing added in this recipe recently.

I added 1/4 cup of corn starch in the 2 plus cups of ready soft paneer. Yes, this increases calories but if you want firm cubes cornstarch works really good. Add cornstarch and mix well and microwave it for a minute or two to further make it firm. I take out after a minute and mix it well and put it back in the microwave for another minute to heat and mix well and then after cooling it well, put it in an air tight container and refrigerate it for few hours before cutting it into cubes. (if you prefer egg whites then add 2 egg whites instead of the corn starch and follow the above procedure. )

You can eat them like cheese cubes, or marinate and grill those cubes, or gently fry. You can use in making "Mutter Paneer" or "Malai Paneer" or "Green Pepper (chili) Paneer", or Mutter-Paneer Pulav.

You can read on the internet that home made 1 oz. (1/8th cup) paneer has about 80 calories and good protein and its low Carb as well. Of course the added cornstarch will be added calories. (1 tablespoon of corn starch is 30 calories so feel free to use 2 tablespoons to try out as 4 tablespoons will be 120 calories added to it.) Or 1 egg white is 17 calories but 3.6 or 4 g protein), so try one or two and see how that works)
----
Note: The left over whey liquid can be used if you do not want discard off.
1. You can use it to make Chapati ( Roti) (Indian flat bread) or puris instead of water; the Rotis will be softer.
2. Or use it in making pie crusts, breads, etc..
3. Use in smoothies or lemonade drinks.
4.Or I have heard people use it for conditioning hair after shampooing. I know my grandmother used to use it to wash her hair. :)

PS. On the other hand, going progressively, after doing some reading I have learned that people discard off the liquid whey because it has carbs that they do not want to consume. So see what you want to do with it, discard or use it in something else!

Blessings, KC - aka
Kalpana Christian Sharma.
kalpchristiansharma@gmail.com

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