- 1 kg greek yoghurt (full fat)
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp sumac
- 2 tbsp oregano
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 2 tsp sumac
- 2 tsp thyme
- 2 tsp marjoram
- 2 tsp oregano
- 100 g pistachio (crushed)
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 10 g dried sea buckthorn (havtorn)
- 2 g lemon zest
- 1 tbsp sumac
Cheese:
Suspend a metal sieve/colander over the smallest bowl it fits in.
Line sieve with several layers of cheese cloth, or a tea towel, with edges extending significantly beyond the bowl.
Pour all yoghurt into towel.
Add salt, stir gently until combined.
Fold corners of cheese cloth up and tie together tightly with string or clamp.
Set something flat on top of the bundle, like a plastic lid.
Set 1-5kg of weight on top of flat surface. Free dumbbell weights work great, if you have them. Otherwise, get creative.
Set in fridge for 12-48 hours.
Remove and roll into desired shape: ~30g balls or ~150g logs. It's sloppy, but it should come together. Toss it in the freezer for a bit if you need to firm it up.
Optionally, roll in a spice mix. See below.
Keeps 1-2 weeks in fridge. Otherwise store submerged in oil, and it keeps for months.
Sumac Mix:
Mix spices together.
Roll labneh log to cover evenly.
Za'atar Mix:
Mix spices together.
Roll labneh log to cover evenly.
Pistachio Mix:
Crush/grind/chop pistachio into fine powder.
Mince havtorn as finely as possible.
Thin molasses with 0.25 - 0.5 tbsp hot water.
Mix all ingredients together into a flat-bottomed container.
Roll labneh log to cover evenly.
Note: chopping pistachios by hand just doesn't work. Can't get it to a fine enough powder, and it turns into a gross, lumpy paste. I'm not sure if the molasses is a good idea, either, since it doesn't coat the labneh well once it's a sticky mess. Maybe it just needs to be thinned more? Or maybe it's better to drizzle that on at the end, or incorporate into the cheese itself. It is quite tasty, though.