In college I lived with a bunch of hippy vegetarians and we took turns cooking, so we developed a healthy competition to make really good meals since we each only cooked once a week.
I made paneer all the time back then. It just takes under 2 hours, mostly just waiting time. Boil the milk, add acid of some sort to curdle (lots of recipes online), strain through cheesecloth, knead it for a bit, then press for an hour or so with some weight to get most of the moisture out. It tastes great rolled into balls, then very briefly deep fried, and then soaked in some saltwater with a touch of turmeric. Then you can put it into Saag paneer, or matar paneer, or whatever favorite Indian dish. Alternatively you can press it longer til it's firm, and just cut into squares. Can be used like tofu, but it will melt a bit, so I always add it at the end and just warm through.
The times I've bought paneer in stores it's been kind of disgusting IMO, so the home made version is worth it.
