Aarts

Ingredients

Curd

• 3 litressoured milk, skimmed of its cream
• a pinch of salt, optional

To serve

• sugar or berries
• or dried further into aaruul

Directions

1. Skim the cream off the soured milk first and keep it — in a Mongolian household that cream becomes butter, and aarts is what is made from what is left.
2. Warm the skimmed soured milk gently to about 45°C (113°F) without stirring, until the curd draws together and separates from the greenish whey.
3. Do not let it get hotter than 55°C (131°F). Above that the curd tightens into squeaky grains, and aarts is meant to be a soft paste.
4. Take it off the heat and leave it 15 minutes to settle.
5. Ladle the curd into a muslin-lined sieve and let it drain for three to four hours. Do not press hard — this is the soft intermediate stage, not the dried one.
6. Stir the drained curd smooth with a pinch of salt if you want it savoury, or leave it plain.
7. Eat fresh within two days, with sugar or summer berries.
8. To take it further, press it harder, shape it and dry it on a rack — that is aaruul.

Technique

• Gentle warmth and no stirring, both of which stop the curd going rubbery.
• Keep the whey. It is drunk and used in cooking on the steppe.
• Aarts is the middle of a chain: tarag sours, aarts is strained from it, aaruul is dried from aarts.

Substitutions

• Yoghurt thinned with milk in place of soured milk.
• Any milk — cow, yak, goat — all of which are used.

Variations

• Dried into aaruul, which keeps for years.
• Cooked down further with the whey until it caramelises into eezgii.

History

The intermediate stage of Mongolia’s white-food dairy chain, strained from boiled sour milk before being pressed into aaruul.

Frequently asked questions

What is Aarts?

Aarts is a cheese & dairy from Mongolia: thick sour curd paste from skimmed milk, eaten fresh or dried further. The intermediate stage of Mongolia’s white-food dairy chain, strained from boiled sour milk before being pressed into aaruul.

How long does Aarts take to make?

Aarts takes 15 min plus 4 hours draining of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 600 g. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Aarts?

Yes, within limits. Yoghurt thinned with milk in place of soured milk. Any milk — cow, yak, goat — all of which are used.

What is the most important thing to get right in Aarts?

Do not let it get hotter than 55°C (131°F). Above that the curd tightens into squeaky grains, and aarts is meant to be a soft paste.