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Paneer is known in North India and Pakistan by the same name; however, in Bengal it is known by the name "Chhena" and in South India , by names derived from "'''Panneer'''" and "'''Channa'''" (not to be confused with '''Chana''', the Bengali name for the Chick Pea ). PREPARATION To prepare paneer, food Acid is added to milk to seperate the white Curd s from the yellowish Whey . The curds are then drained in a muslin cloth or Cheesecloth and excess water is pressed out. From this point, the preparation of ''paneer'' diverges based on proposed use. In Mughlai cuisine, the ''paneer''-cloth is put under a heavy weight, such as a stone slab, for two to three hours, and is then cut into cubes for use in curries. Pressing for a shorter time (approximately 20 minutes), results in a softer, fluffier cheese. Bengali cuisine demands ''paneer''-dough produced by beating or kneading the ''paneer'' by hand into a dough-like consistency. MUGHLAI CUISINE ''Paneer'' is the only type of cheese traditionally known in South Asia . The ruling aristocracy in Pakistan , northern India and Bangladesh for much of the second millennium AD was of Turkic ( Central Asia n) and Persia n origin, and it was they who introduced ''paneer'' to South Asia . Due to this, in large parts of North India , ''Paneer'' is an aspirational food, and defines sumptuousness in vegetarian feasts. Unlike most other Cheeses , ''paneer'' does not melt at normal cooking temperatures, and is used in many Mughlai Curry dishes. It is very popular when wrapped in dough and deep-fried or served with either spinach or peas. BENGALI CUISINE In Bangladesh and Indian Bengal, two kinds of cheese are commonly found: ponir (a hard paneer) and '''chhena''' (a soft ''paneer''). ''Ponir'' is a salty semi-hard cheese made in villages across Bangladesh and Indian Bengal. Its sharp flavor and high salt content contrasts with the softer, milder ''chhena''. ''Ponir'' is typically eaten in slices at teatime with biscuits or bread, or deep-fried in a light batter. While Mughlai cuisine uses ''paneer'' in spicy curry dishes, the use of ''chhena'' in Bengali Cuisine is restricted to Sweetmeat s, for which this region is justly renowned. Most Bengali sweets feature ''chhena'' beaten by hand into dough-like consistency and then used in crafting the sweetmeat. The ''chhena'' used in such cases is manufactured by a slightly different procedure from Mughlai Paneer; it is drained but not pressed, so that some moisture is retained, which makes for a soft, malleable consistency. The Rôshogolla or "Rasgulla" is the classical sweetmeat made by this method. It features plain ''chhena'' beaten by hand into the right consistency, then shaped into balls which are dunked into sugar syrup. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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