Yields: 550 g
Draining time: 48 hours
Equipment: muslin cloth or a clean Chux
- Strain the yoghurt. Place a sieve over a medium mixing bowl. Line the sieve with a piece of double-layered muslin or clean Chux, about 60 cm x 40 cm. Pour the yoghurt into the centre of the muslin and sprinkle over the salt. Bring the opposite corners together and tie in a very tight knot. Place in the fridge to let the whey (the liquid) drain from the yoghurt for 48 hours. Check to make sure the muslin bag is not sitting in the whey, give the muslin a squeeze and re-tighten.
- Roll the labneh into balls. Remove the labneh from the fridge (you can save the whey to use in cooking, see Tips) and unwrap. Using lightly oiled hands, roll the labneh into walnut-sized balls, about 1½ tablespoons (see Tips).
- Roll in coatings of your choice. Serve at room temperature with crackers.
Tips
• You can use cow’s, sheep’s, goat’s or buffalo milk yoghurt - just make sure you choose one that doesn’t have thickeners, gelatine or other emulsifiers in it.
• Whey is great to use in salad dressings, to marinate meats or in baking (like you would buttermilk).
• You can roll the labneh into balls and store them completely covered in olive oil in the fridge until ready to coat. They will keep for up to 1 week stored like this. When you’re ready to coat, drain them well and gently roll on paper towel to remove the excess oil.
Photography by Benito Martin, styling by Lynsey Fryers, food preparation by O Tama Carey and creative concept by Belinda So.
View more recipes in our Eat Better, Live Better collection, created in partnership with Medibank.