Tea-smoked Paneer

After my initial misstep I did some more tea-smoked fish, this time over plain black tea and star anise and for about half the time - I could do it a bit longer, but it was a good start.  But it gave me an idea...

I've wanted to do a smoked cheese for ages, but generally you need a cold smoker for that, and tea smoking on the stovetop, while cooler than a barbecue, is still hot.  However, paneer, being an acid-set cheese, doesn't melt, and tea smoking takes such a short time that it's perfectly safe for dairy products.  And chai-smoked paneer just seems right, though I've never seen it before.

I didn't take any pictures or video, since I was working on a few other things at the same time, but I'll definitely do it again and write it up properly.  Being able to make a smoked cheese in a few hours, and not busy hours, is pretty awesome (and a great way to impress people and round out your charcuterie).  It went over great at the beer tasting I brought it to, and I'm looking forward to cooking with what's left.

Tea-smoked white fish...

... Is excellent, but holy crap, ten minutes was way too long.  Super intense.  Maybe five, next time, at most, and I can finish cooking it under the broiler or something if I have to.