Chaka

Ingredients

Chaka

• 1 kgfull-fat plain yoghurt, live and slightly sour
• 1 tspfine salt

To flavour

• 2garlic cloves, crushed to a paste with a pinch of salt
• 2 tspdried mint, crushed to a powder between the palms
• ½ tspsalt, or to taste

To serve

• a drizzle of oil infused with dried mint or chilli
• naan, rice or ashak

Directions

1. Stir the teaspoon of salt through the yoghurt; salt drives out whey faster and seasons the curd from the inside.
2. Line a colander with a double layer of muslin or a clean cotton cloth and set it over a deep bowl with room underneath for the whey.
3. Pour in the yoghurt, gather the cloth into a bundle and tie it, then hang it from a spoon across the bowl or from a tap.
4. Leave it to drain in a cool place or the fridge for 8 to 12 hours; village kitchens hang it overnight and the whey drips into a bowl for the dogs or the dough.
5. Check it after 8 hours. It is ready when it holds a soft peak and no longer runs, roughly halving in weight; going longer gives the firmer curd used for rolling into balls.
6. Scrape the strained curd into a bowl and beat it smooth with a spoon for a minute, until it loses its grainy look and turns glossy.
7. Work in the garlic paste and the salt, then most of the dried mint, and taste; chaka should be sharply sour, distinctly garlicky and salty enough to season whatever it lands on.
8. Spread it in a shallow dish, dent the surface with the back of a spoon, trickle over the mint or chilli oil and scatter the remaining dried mint. Serve at room temperature.

Technique

• Chaka is the fresh-milk cousin of qurut. In summer, when milk is plentiful, Afghan households strain yoghurt for chaka; in winter they reconstitute the dried qurut balls instead, and the two are used in exactly the same places.
• Use live, sour yoghurt. A mild set yoghurt gives a bland chaka, and the dish depends on acidity to cut fat.
• Never serve it fridge-cold over hot food. Take it out 30 minutes ahead so it spreads and does not seize the fat in whatever it tops.
• Keep it covered in the fridge for up to 5 days; if it weeps, pour off the whey and beat it smooth again.

Substitutions

• Thick Greek yoghurt can be used straight from the tub with no straining, though it is milder; add a squeeze of lemon to bring the sourness back. Labneh is effectively the same product.

Variations

• Chaka-e sabz has finely chopped coriander and green chilli beaten through it.
• Rolled into walnut-sized balls, salted heavily and sun-dried, chaka becomes qurut for winter storage.

Frequently asked questions

What is Chaka?

Chaka is a cheese & dairy from Afghanistan: strained sour yoghurt beaten with dried mint and garlic, spooned over rice and bread.

How long does Chaka take to make?

Chaka takes 10 min of preparation and 12 hr straining of cooking. The recipe makes about 500 g, 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Chaka?

Yes, within limits. Thick Greek yoghurt can be used straight from the tub with no straining, though it is milder; add a squeeze of lemon to bring the sourness back. Labneh is effectively the same product.

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

Never serve it fridge-cold over hot food. Take it out 30 minutes ahead so it spreads and does not seize the fat in whatever it tops.