Ingredients
Curd
- 3 litresgatyk, or thick plain yoghurt
- 3 tbspsalt
Equipment
- muslin, for hanging
- a flat tray or basket
- full sun and moving air
To use it
- hot water, tea or soup
- or eaten dry, in the hand
Directions
- Hang the gatyk in muslin over a bowl for 24 hours until it is thick enough to hold its shape — this stage is süzme.
- Work the salt through it thoroughly. Three tablespoons to three litres of milk is not seasoning, it is the preservative, and a lightly salted batch will mould rather than dry.
- Roll the salted curd into balls the size of a walnut, rolling firmly between the palms so there are no cracks. Cracks are where a ball goes bad from the inside.
- Set them well apart on a tray or basket in full sun with air moving around them. Space matters — balls touching one another stay damp where they meet.
- Turn them once or twice a day. Bring them in at night if there is dew.
- Dry for one to two weeks depending on the weather, until they are rock hard and rattle on the tray. They should be too hard to dent with a thumbnail.
- Half-dried gurt is the one thing to avoid: hard outside and soft in the middle, it spoils in the bag without showing it.
- Store in a cloth bag in a dry place. Properly made, it keeps for years without refrigeration, which is exactly why herders carry it.
- To eat, suck a ball slowly in the mouth, or crush it and stir it into hot water for a salty drink, or crumble it into soup to thicken and sour it.
Technique
- Salt hard, roll smooth, dry until rock hard.
- Space the balls apart and turn them daily.
- It is meant to be extremely salty and extremely hard. That is the preserve, not a fault.
Substitutions
- A dehydrator at 45°C (113°F) for two days, or a very low oven with the door ajar.
- Greek yoghurt, already strained, in place of hanging gatyk.
- Flattened into discs instead of balls, which dry faster.
Variations
- The Kazakh kurt, Tajik qurut and Mongolian aaruul are the same preserve.
- Crushed into chorba and into dough for flatbread.
History
Sun-dried soured milk that keeps for years without refrigeration, carried by herders on the move.
Frequently asked questions
What is Gurt?
Gurt is a cheese & dairy from Turkmenistan: hard dried curd balls, sucked whole or crumbled into soup. Sun-dried soured milk that keeps for years without refrigeration, carried by herders on the move.
How long does Gurt take to make?
Gurt takes 30 min plus 24 hours draining and 1 to 2 weeks drying of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes makes about 40 balls. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Gurt?
Yes, within limits. A dehydrator at 45°C (113°F) for two days, or a very low oven with the door ajar. Greek yoghurt, already strained, in place of hanging gatyk. Flattened into discs instead of balls, which dry faster.
What is the most important thing to get right in Gurt?
Work the salt through it thoroughly. Three tablespoons to three litres of milk is not seasoning, it is the preservative, and a lightly salted batch will mould rather than dry.
