What is Labneh exactly ?? A thick , tangy and super creamy is basically a yogurt cheese often eaten in breakfast with olive oil along with other cheese and bread by middle eastern countries. Just like Greek yogurt, it is made by straining yogurt until it loses most of its water. Labneh making is very simple , you just need natural yogurt and a little salt. Stir the salt with yogurt, place it into a muslin cloth or cheesecloth and hang from the kitchen sink faucet for at least 24 hours. After several hours of strained ,when the whey is out, you will get delightfully thick spreadable cheese.
Serve it with savoury seasonings as dip with lots of olive oil or zattar or simply use it as spread in place of cream cheese . Since you will get this readily strained cheese in supermarkets worldwide, but I would prefer homemade and found it extremely convenient to make different type of recipes with it specially as party starters. This homemade labneh recipe is an alternative to cream cheese . You can also spread it on sandwiches instead of store bought sandwich spread. Once you start making labneh at home, I’m pretty sure , you will find many ways to enjoy it.
Today I made this vibrant labneh by adding beetroot juice with cashews, red chili powder and black pepper which is ready in a minute. To jagging things up more, I used this beetroot labneh as a centrepiece to a pretty fresh veggie board along with few homemade crackers.
You can store this labneh in a air tight jar in refrigerator upto two weeks. Or you can make small balls with olive oil and keep in air tight jar for better preserve.
Ingredients: For simple labneh
500 ml full fat Yogurt (curd )
1/2 teaspoon salt
To make beetroot labneh :
2 tablespoons beetroot juice
5-6 cashew nuts ( paste)
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Olive oil to drizzle
To make beetroot labneh :
2 tablespoons beetroot juice
5-6 cashew nuts ( paste)
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Olive oil to drizzle
Method :
In a large bowl, pour the yogurt and stir it with salt.
In another bowl, place a muslin cloth or cheese cloth. Pour the yogurt mixture into the cloth. Pick up the edges of the cloth and tie at the top. Hang it from kitchen sink faucet to drain the water for at least 24 hours.
To serve it , place in a bowl and mix it with your choice of spice and olive oil. Garnish with fresh herbs, nuts or spices.