Paneer and Malai Paneer are dishes that have different preparation styles.
In a normal paneer dish, it can be either mixed with spinach or butter (which is called the Paneer butter masala), while the Malai Paneer dish is made in fresh milk cream with a lot of spices.
Key Takeaways
- Paneer is a fresh cheese made from curdling milk using an acidic substance, while malai paneer is a creamier version created by adding cream during the curdling process.
- Due to the added cream content, Malai paneer has a softer texture and richer taste than traditional paneer.
- Paneer is lower in calories and fat than malai paneer, making it a healthier option for those watching their calorie intake.
Paneer vs Malai Paneer
Paneer is a type of fresh cheese made by curdling milk with an acidic substance and then straining and pressing the resulting curds to be firm and crumbly cheese. Malai is a clotted cream rich in fat made by heating milk and allowing the formation of skimmable cream to rise to the surface.
Paneer is made from the milk of cow or buffalo. It is made by mixing the acetic acid, which is called Vinegar.
When it is mixed in the Milk, it changes into the Paneer form, which is used to make the dishes like ” Palak Paneer,” Paneer Butter Masala,” etc.
Malai Paneer is a dish which is made after cooking the panner and milk adding spices and veggies etc. to make a final dish which is eaten with the chapatis.
This dish is made in fresh cream milk with paneer. The milk which is added gives a different taste to the dish.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Paneer | Malai Paneer |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | It is a compound that is made by adding vinegar to the milk. | It is a dish which is prepared in half milk and paneer combination. |
| Type of Dishes | With the help of simple Paneer, many dishes can be made. | If the dish is prepared in cream only, limited dishes can be prepared. |
| Cost of Food | Low-cost | High cost concerning the normal Paneer dish |
| Taste | It can be spicy and not spicy also. | As the dish is prepared in milk the level of spiciness is low here. |
| Nutritional Value | As it only contains Paneer, therefore only minimal nutrition is provided. | The dish is prepared in cream milk with Paneer which gives high nutritional content. |
What is Paneer?
Paneer is a food item that is prepared with the help of milk. It is also called the Indian Cottage Cheese. It is very much simple to convert the milk into Paneer.
You just need a bottle of acetic acid which is called the “Vinegar.”
Once the vinegar is added to the milk, it starts to lose the fat that contains inside the milk, and after certain minutes the fate starts to float above the milk.
This floating by-product is nothing, just a Paneer, which is used in many dishes that start with the name of Paneer only.
Panner can be used to make multiple dishes from “Palak Paner” to “Chilli Paneer,” etc. It is a vegetarian dish that is a great source of protein and fat.
The people who are only vegetarian prefer only the Paneer dishes as this dish has one of the highest content of protein after “Soyabean,” which is also used to make a vegetarian dish.
The cost of this dish is cheaper compared with the other dishes that are prepared in the milk cream. The amount of chili, which is called the simple term “spiciness,” can be altered according to the taste of the person.
What is Malai Paneer?
Malai Paneer is a cooked dish in which the paneer is cooked with the dish to give an authentic taste and style. Usually, the dishes that are prepared with the help of milk and paneer are referred to as the ” malai Paneer” dishes.
These dishes are a great source of nutrition as they contain both milk and paneer, which is good for the body as it provides strength to the bones.
One such dish that is prepared under this is called the ” Paneer Butter Masala,” which is the combination of butter plus milk and paneer. In the initial stages, the Panner is made for frying with the help of butter.
Once the process is over, the Spices are added to give the taste. One important thing to note is that even if you are adding the chili in high quantity, the milk which is to be added will automatically decrease the level of spiciness.
Hence, these dishes are moderate in spiciness. It is also a vegetarian dish that is served with chapatis.
The price range of these dishes that are prepared with milk and butter is comparatively high with the one that is just normally prepared.
Main Differences Between Paneer and Malai Paneer
- Paneer is a substitute that is formed after adding the vinegar into the milk, whereas the Malai Paneer is a cooked dish that is prepared in half milk cream and half paneer to give a nice taste to the food.
- A normal Paneer can have multiple varieties of dishes while the dish that is prepared in milk, i.e., Malai paneer dishes, have a limited variety as the milk is added in the dish, which does not make it suitable for some veggies.
- The cost of the Paneer dish is low when compared to the dishes that are prepared in extra grading, which is milk and butter. Hence the Malai Paneer dishes are comparatively high in price.
- Paneer dishes have a high level of chili taste, whereas the dish that is prepared under the Malai APneer has a low chili taste because of added milk.
- The nutritional value of the Paneer dish is comparatively low with the Malai Paneer dish as extra graded substances are added in these dishes.
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13197-011-0247-x
- https://analyticalsciencejournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jemt.23534
Last Updated : 16 July, 2023
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
