Ingredients
Cheese
- 4 litreswhole milk
- ¼ tspcalcium chloride in 2 tbsp water, if using shop milk
- ½ tspliquid rennet in 50 ml cool water
- 2 tspsalt
To serve
- hot corn tortillas
- red beans
- mantequilla crema
Directions
- Warm the milk to 35°C (95°F) and stir in the calcium chloride if the milk is pasteurised — without it the curd sets weakly and the yield drops.
- Stir in the diluted rennet with a few slow strokes, then stop the milk moving completely and leave it undisturbed for 45 minutes.
- Test for a clean break: push a finger in at an angle and lift. It should split cleanly with clear whey running into the gap.
- Cut the curd into 2 cm cubes, rest 10 minutes, then stir very gently for 10 minutes. Cuajada is a soft fresh cheese and rough handling shatters the curd into grains that will not knit back together.
- Drain off the whey and work the salt through the curd with your hands.
- Pack into a muslin-lined mould or a colander and let it drain under its own weight for two hours. Do not press — the softness is the cheese.
- Turn out and eat the same day or the next. Serve with hot tortillas, beans and a spoonful of mantequilla crema.
Technique
- Handle the curd gently. This is the one thing that separates a good cuajada from a crumbly one.
- Do not press it. Pressed, it becomes a quesillo or a queso duro, which are different cheeses entirely.
- It keeps three days in the fridge and no longer. There is nothing in it preserving it.
Substitutions
- Vegetarian microbial rennet, which works well.
- Lemon juice — 4 tablespoons into milk at 85°C (185°F) — for an acid-set version, which is crumblier.
Variations
- Pressed harder and salted more it keeps for a week and can be grated.
- Fried in slabs until it colours, which it does without melting.
History
Made on small farms from the day’s milk set with rennet; it is the everyday cheese of the Honduran countryside, sold at roadside stands.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cuajada?
Cuajada is a cheese & dairy from Honduras: fresh soft curd cheese eaten with hot tortillas and beans. Made on small farms from the day’s milk set with rennet; it is the everyday cheese of the Honduran countryside, sold at roadside stands.
How long does Cuajada take to make?
Cuajada takes 30 min plus 2 hours draining of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 500 g. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Cuajada?
Yes, within limits. Vegetarian microbial rennet, which works well. Lemon juice — 4 tablespoons into milk at 85°C (185°F) — for an acid-set version, which is crumblier.
What is the most important thing to get right in Cuajada?
Pack into a muslin-lined mould or a colander and let it drain under its own weight for two hours. Do not press — the softness is the cheese.
