Labneh Recipe

This Labneh Recipe is typical Mediterranean food mostly popular in Syria, Lebnan and Greece. The recipe is mainly prepared with yogurt, lemon juice and olive oil. The whole purpose is to extract all the water from the yogurt and then use it with different flavors with olive oil. It can be used in variety of mediterranean salads like greek cabbage salad and as it is.

Ingredients:

2 cup yogurt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1½ cup olive oil

For Flavors :

Fresh mint leaves (2-3 stalks)
1 tsp dried thyme
Crushed or ground red pepper
Roasted sesame seeds
Roasted nigella seeds

Procedure:

1. In a mixing bowl combine lemon juice and yogurt and whisk well to mix.
2. Transfer this mixture into the cheesecloth, tie the cheesecloth edges and then tightly hang over the bowl. Leave it as it is for at least an hour, make sure that the surrounding area should not be hot or warm otherwise you can put it in refrigerator after 2-3 hours.
3. After that take the mixture out from the cloth it would be a nice round shape ball. Put it in fridge for sometime to make it more firm.
4. Now start making balls of meatball size and set aside.
5. Take a jar full of olive oil or enough to immerse the prepared yogurt balls. Put all the balls into the oil.
6. To give different flavors, you can put either mint leaves or dried thyme into the oil and the refrigerate for days so that Labneh could absorb the herb aroma.
7. You may also make different coating of flavors like red chili, sesame and nigella seeds.
8. You can refrigerate this Labneh for 3 months.

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