Ingredients
Curd
- 2 litresgatyk, or thick plain yoghurt
- 1 tspsalt, for eating fresh
- or 3 tbsp salt, if it is going on to be gurt
To serve
- flatbread
- olive oil
- dill or mint, chopped
Directions
- Stir the salt through the gatyk before straining. Salting first draws whey out faster and seasons the curd evenly, rather than leaving a salty skin on a bland middle.
- Line a sieve with a double layer of muslin, tip in the gatyk, gather the corners and tie them.
- Hang it over a bowl in a cool place. Twelve hours gives a soft spreadable süzme; twenty-four gives a firm one you can roll into balls.
- Do not squeeze the cloth. Pressing forces fine curd through the weave and leaves the süzme grainy — the whey that comes out on its own is the whey that should come out.
- Keep the drained whey for bread dough or for thinning soups.
- Beat the strained curd smooth with a spoon.
- For the table, spread it on a plate, pour olive oil into a hollow in the middle and scatter dill or mint over. Eat with flatbread.
- For gurt, use the heavier salt, drain the full 24 hours, roll into walnut-sized balls and dry them in the sun.
- Fresh süzme keeps four or five days in the fridge, sharpening steadily.
Technique
- Salt before straining, and hang rather than press.
- Twelve hours soft, twenty-four hours firm. Decide before you start.
- Keep the whey. It is good bread liquid.
Substitutions
- Greek yoghurt, which is half strained already and needs only four hours.
- A clean pillowcase or a paper coffee filter in place of muslin.
- Sheep’s-milk gatyk for a much richer süzme.
Variations
- Rolled into balls and stored under oil, which keeps it for months.
- The Levantine labneh and Central Asian chakka are the same curd.
History
Hung in cloth to drain, it is the halfway stage between gatyk and the hard dried balls of gurt.
Frequently asked questions
What is Suzme?
Suzme is a cheese & dairy from Turkmenistan: strained sour milk curd, salted and eaten fresh or dried into gurt. Hung in cloth to drain, it is the halfway stage between gatyk and the hard dried balls of gurt.
How long does Suzme take to make?
Suzme takes 10 min plus 12 to 24 hours draining of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes makes about 700 g. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Suzme?
Yes, within limits. Greek yoghurt, which is half strained already and needs only four hours. A clean pillowcase or a paper coffee filter in place of muslin. Sheep’s-milk gatyk for a much richer süzme.
What is the most important thing to get right in Suzme?
Stir the salt through the gatyk before straining. Salting first draws whey out faster and seasons the curd evenly, rather than leaving a salty skin on a bland middle.
