Ingredients
Strained yoghurt
- 1.5 litresjurghot, or thick plain yoghurt
- 1 tspsalt
Herbs
- 1large bunch dill, chopped fine
- 1 bunchcoriander, chopped fine
- 3spring onions, sliced thin
- 2 clovesgarlic, crushed to a paste with salt
- black pepper
To serve
- hot non bread
- olive oil, to pour over
Directions
- Stir the salt into the yoghurt. Salting before straining rather than after draws the whey out faster and seasons it evenly.
- Line a sieve with a double layer of muslin, tip in the yoghurt, gather the corners and tie them.
- Hang it over a bowl in a cool place for 12 hours. Do not squeeze it — pressing forces fine curd through the cloth and gives a grainy chakka instead of a smooth one.
- It is ready when it is thick enough to hold a spoon upright and has lost about half its volume as whey. Keep the whey for baking or for thinning soups.
- Beat the strained curd smooth, then fold in the dill, coriander, spring onion, garlic and black pepper.
- Add the herbs at the last moment. Left to sit, dill and coriander weep and turn the whole bowl green and watery within a day.
- Spread it on a plate, make a hollow with the back of a spoon and pour olive oil into it.
- Eat with hot non torn straight from the bread, which is how it comes to a Tajik table.
Technique
- Salt first, hang, never squeeze.
- Herbs in at the end.
- It keeps three days plain, one day once the herbs are in.
Substitutions
- Greek yoghurt, which is already half strained and needs only four hours.
- Mint or basil in place of dill.
- Thinned with water and salt it becomes a drinking ayran, which is the other way it is used.
Variations
- The Levantine labneh and Indian hung curd are the same strained curd.
- Dried and salted into hard qurut balls for winter.
History
Strained sour milk mixed with herbs, spread on bread or thinned into sauces.
Frequently asked questions
What is Chakka?
Chakka is a cheese & dairy from Tajikistan: strained sour yoghurt with herbs, eaten with non. Strained sour milk mixed with herbs, spread on bread or thinned into sauces.
How long does Chakka take to make?
Chakka takes 15 min plus 12 hours draining of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes makes about 500 g. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Chakka?
Yes, within limits. Greek yoghurt, which is already half strained and needs only four hours. Mint or basil in place of dill. Thinned with water and salt it becomes a drinking ayran, which is the other way it is used.
What is the most important thing to get right in Chakka?
Stir the salt into the yoghurt. Salting before straining rather than after draws the whey out faster and seasons it evenly.
