Ingredients
Curd
- 2 litresthick plain yoghurt, or sour milk
- 2 tbspfine salt
Equipment
- muslin
- flat trays or a rack
- muslin or netting, to keep flies off
Directions
- Stir the salt through the yoghurt. Kurt is properly salty — it is a preserved food, not a snack that happens to have salt in it.
- Line a sieve with a double layer of muslin, tip in the yoghurt, tie the corners and hang it over a bowl in a cool place for 24 to 48 hours.
- Keep draining until the curd is very firm — firm enough to hold a shape without slumping at all. This is much drier than labneh, and any softness left now becomes moisture that spoils the balls later.
- Roll the drained curd into balls the size of a walnut with wet hands, pressing them firm so there are no air pockets.
- Lay them on trays in a single layer, cover with netting to keep flies off, and dry in the sun or a warm airy place.
- Turn them daily. Over five to ten days they will shrink, harden and go from white to pale cream. They are ready when they are rock hard and click against each other — a ball still yielding in the middle will mould in storage.
- Store in a cloth bag or a jar somewhere dry. They keep for years, which is the entire point of them.
- Eat by sucking or nibbling them slowly, or dissolve one in hot water or soup.
Technique
- Dry them until they are genuinely hard. This is the step that decides whether the batch survives, and the one people cut short.
- Salt properly. Under-salted kurt does not keep.
- They soften and dissolve in liquid, which is how herders use them — a ball stirred into hot water makes a savoury drink.
Substitutions
- Sheep’s or goat’s yoghurt, both of which are traditional and drier.
- A dehydrator at 50°C (122°F) where the weather will not oblige.
Variations
- Kyrgyz kurut, Mongolian aaruul and Uzbek qurt are the same food under different names.
- Some makers flavour them with chilli or herbs before drying.
History
Sour dried curd balls that keep for years, carried by herders as portable protein.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kurt?
Kurt is a cheese & dairy from Kazakhstan: rock-hard salty dried yoghurt balls, nomad travel food. Sour dried curd balls that keep for years, carried by herders as portable protein.
How long does Kurt take to make?
Kurt takes 30 min plus 2 days draining and 5 to 10 days drying of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes makes about 400 g. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Kurt?
Yes, within limits. Sheep’s or goat’s yoghurt, both of which are traditional and drier. A dehydrator at 50°C (122°F) where the weather will not oblige.
What is the most important thing to get right in Kurt?
Store in a cloth bag or a jar somewhere dry. They keep for years, which is the entire point of them.
