Pour milk into a pot and bring it to a boil over a medium flame. Stir frequently.

In a small bowl, pour lemon juice and water. Mix well.

When the milk starts boiling, lower the flame and pour the lemon-water mixture, one tablespoon at a time.

Keep stirring after every addition. And as soon as the milk curdles and the colour of the liquid becomes light green, stop pouring the lemon-water mixture.

Turn the flame off. Line a strainer with cheese or muslin cloth and place it over a large bowl. Pour the curdled milk into the strainer. You can discard this greenish water(whey) or use it to make soups, curries, dough etc.

Wash the chena with water. Tie the cloth and hang it for 2 hours.

But if you want to make paneer, then hang it for 30 minutes.

After that open the cloth and tightly wrap it around the chhena. Then place it on a plate.

Add another plate on top of the wrapped chhena. Then place a large bowl filled with uncooked rice on top. You can actually use any kind of weight in this step. If you like then you can use a heavy mortar and pestle, a marble chakla (Indian rolling board) or a heavy pot. Allow it to rest for 4-5 hours.

Take the chana out of the muslin cloth and transfer it to a plate.

Homemade paneer/chhena is ready to use.