Bring the milk to a boil. As soon as it begins to bubble, pour in the lemon juice, stir once, and take the pot off the heat. Leave it for 15 minutes. The milk will curdle and the curds will separate from the whey.

Strain the curds through three layers of cheesecloth. Squeeze out as much whey as you can easily. (Do not discard this whey. Refrigerate it and use it in cooking instead of water.) Tie up the curds in the cheesecloth, and hang the bundle to drip overnight.

Next morning, remove the hanging bundle and untie it. Gently flatten it out to make a 4-inch patty, keeping the cheese loosely wrapped in the cheesecloth. Put the patty on a sturdy plate and place a flat, heavy object, such as a heavy pot filled with water, on top of it. Leave the weight on the cheese for 4 to 5 hours. After the cheese has been pressed, it should be 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.

Remove the cheese from the cheesecloth and, with a sharp knife, cut into cubes, diamonds, or rectangles. The paneer will be quite crumbly until fried.

Karen Mintzias