Ingredients
Milk
- 2 litreswhole milk, sheep’s or cow’s
- 4 tbsplive jurghot or plain yoghurt, as starter
To serve
- non bread
- salt, or honey
- water and salt, for thinning to a drink
Directions
- Bring the milk to a boil and hold it there for two minutes, stirring so it does not catch.
- The boil matters. It drives off dissolved gases and denatures the whey proteins, and it is the difference between a jurghot you can stand a spoon in and a thin one that weeps.
- Cool it to 45°C (113°F). A clean finger should be able to stay in for ten seconds without discomfort.
- Loosen the starter with a ladleful of the warm milk, then stir it back through the pot.
- Pour into a clay bowl or a jar, cover, and wrap the whole thing in a thick towel or a quilt.
- Leave it somewhere warm and completely undisturbed for six to eight hours. Do not move or tilt it while it sets — a disturbed curd never firms and separates into curds and whey.
- It is set when it holds a clean edge as you tilt the bowl and tastes gently sour.
- Refrigerate at once. It sharpens for two or three days and keeps a week.
- Eat it with bread and salt at any meal, thin it with cold water and salt as a drink, or hang it in cloth to make chakka.
Technique
- Boil, cool to 45°C (113°F), wrap warm, do not disturb.
- Keep four spoonfuls back for the next batch and it never needs buying again.
- Sheep’s milk gives a much richer set than cow’s, which is the traditional version.
Substitutions
- Bought live yoghurt as a starter.
- A cool box or a warm oven with the light on, in place of the quilt.
- Goat’s milk, which sets softer.
Variations
- Strained into chakka, or dried into qurut balls that keep for years.
- Stirred into soups off the heat, which is the Tajik way of finishing shurbo.
History
Home-set yoghurt; strained through cloth it becomes chakka, dried and salted it becomes qurut.
Frequently asked questions
What is Jurghot?
Jurghot is a cheese & dairy from Tajikistan: thick soured milk eaten with bread or thinned for drinking. Home-set yoghurt; strained through cloth it becomes chakka, dried and salted it becomes qurut.
How long does Jurghot take to make?
Jurghot takes 15 min plus 6 to 8 hours setting of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes makes 2 litres. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Jurghot?
Yes, within limits. Bought live yoghurt as a starter. A cool box or a warm oven with the light on, in place of the quilt. Goat’s milk, which sets softer.
What is the most important thing to get right in Jurghot?
The boil matters. It drives off dissolved gases and denatures the whey proteins, and it is the difference between a jurghot you can stand a spoon in and a thin one that weeps.
