Ingredients
Soured cream
- 1 litrewhole milk
- 300 mldouble cream
- 4 tbsplive plain yoghurt or buttermilk, as starter
- 1 tspsalt
To serve
- arepas, boiled yuca or mote de queso
Directions
- Warm the milk and cream together to 35°C (95°F) — blood heat, no more.
- Stir in the starter until evenly mixed, then pour into a clay pot or a jar and cover with a cloth rather than a lid.
- Leave at warm room temperature for 24 to 48 hours until it has set and tastes sharply sour. Coastal Colombian kitchens are hot and it can be ready in a day.
- Line a sieve with muslin and drain the soured cream in the fridge for four to six hours, until it is thick enough to hold a spoon but still spoonable — this is not meant to become cheese.
- Stir in the salt. Suero is salted, and unsalted it tastes flat and half-finished.
- Chill thoroughly before serving. It thickens further in the cold.
- Spoon over hot arepas, boiled yuca, or into mote de queso.
Technique
- Save four spoonfuls to start the next batch. A clay pot used regularly carries the culture on its own.
- The salt goes in after draining, not before. Salted early it draws out water and the texture goes grainy.
- It should be noticeably sour — sourer than sour cream. If it is mild, it needed another day.
Substitutions
- Buttermilk as a starter, which is closer in character than yoghurt.
- All milk and no cream for a lighter, tarter version, which is what a working kitchen would make.
Variations
- Suero atollabuey is the thicker version, drained longer and eaten almost as a spread.
- Some cooks stir in a little crumbled costeño cheese, which makes it saltier and grainier.
History
A Caribbean coast ferment of the Sabanas cattle country, soured in clay pots; also called suero atollabuey.
Frequently asked questions
What is Suero costeño?
Suero costeño is a cheese & dairy from Colombia: tangy soured cream spooned over arepas, yuca and mote de queso. A Caribbean coast ferment of the Sabanas cattle country, soured in clay pots; also called suero atollabuey.
How long does Suero costeño take to make?
Suero costeño takes 15 min plus 2 to 3 days souring of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes makes about 700 ml. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Suero costeño?
Yes, within limits. Buttermilk as a starter, which is closer in character than yoghurt. All milk and no cream for a lighter, tarter version, which is what a working kitchen would make.
What is the most important thing to get right in Suero costeño?
Stir in the starter until evenly mixed, then pour into a clay pot or a jar and cover with a cloth rather than a lid.
