literally the best way to get cheap protein and use up expired milk - and it's zero waste!!! use the highest fat milk you can and wait til it's sour or on the way out as higher acidity helps the curds to separate

needed:

milk that's on the turn cream that's on the turn (optional) cheesecloth vinegar (i use 1tbsp per 500ml milk; measure it out beforehand and have more to hand just in case) big cooking pot flat sieve (get creative if you don't have one - i used to use a flat cheesegrater) something heavy (i use a ceramic cooking lid - again, get creative)

heat the milk (and cream, if using - never use cream alone, it doesn't work) on low heat - use a big pot as it gets really foamy

meanwhile, put a wet cheesecloth (wet helps keep it in place) over a large bowl and secure with an elastic band. leave some give / sag in the centre for the curds!

when the milk is really foamy, add all of your vinegar at once. no need to stir, it will separate by itself!

the curds will separate! it looks really gross

tip it all onto the cheesecloth. the yellow run-off liquid is called whey and is full of good stuff - i cook my rice in it!

bundle up your paneer curds in the cheesecloth and let it drain over the whey for 5 mins

if you used cream, an oily slick will be on the surface. let the mixture cool and this becomes a kind of homemade butter! gr8 on toast, but you need to let it cool in a bottle with a neck for it to set as one block - otherwise its just lumps of hard fat

twist the excess fabric onto the back of your paneer ball and flatten it in the cheesecloth. this step is really hard to explain im sorry but the penultimate images should make it clearer

lay it over your flat sieve (or something with holes in, like a flat cheesegrater) and with something heavy on top. i used a small saucer and a ceramic lid over a flat seive. leave it to set for 30mins-1hr (you can do longer if you want but you don't need to exceed 2hrs really)

Be jealous