Ingredients
Soured milk
- 1.5 litreswhole milk
- 3 tbsplive rayeb or plain yoghurt, as starter
To serve
- dates
- flatbread
- or with a little salt
Directions
- Warm the milk to about 30°C (86°F) — blood heat, no more. Rayeb is a slow room-temperature clabber rather than a heat-set yoghurt, and warming it further changes what it becomes.
- Stir in the starter and pour into a clay pot or a wide bowl.
- Cover with a cloth rather than a lid so the gas can escape, and leave at warm room temperature for 24 to 48 hours.
- Do not stir or move it while it sets. A jolted curd never firms cleanly.
- It is ready when it has set into a soft curd that pulls away from the side of the bowl and a little clear whey has gathered at the edge. It should taste sharply sour but clean.
- Skim off the cream that has risen if you want it — in Bedouin practice this was lifted off and churned into butter.
- Chill for a few hours before serving. Serve cold from the bowl with dates and flatbread, or with a pinch of salt.
- Keep three spoonfuls back for the next batch.
Technique
- Cover with cloth, not a lid. A sealed pot traps gas and the curd rises and splits.
- The traditional version used raw milk and no starter at all. With pasteurised shop milk a starter is essential.
- Two days is usually the limit before it goes past sour into bitter.
Substitutions
- Buttermilk as the starter, closer in character than yoghurt.
- Camel’s or goat’s milk, both of which are used in the Peninsula.
Variations
- Drained through cloth it becomes labneh.
- The Moroccan raib and Levantine laban rayeb are the same preparation.
History
Milk left to sour and clot without a starter, a Bedouin practice that predates the industrial laban now sold in cartons.
Frequently asked questions
What is Rayeb?
Rayeb is a fermented & pickled from Saudi Arabia: naturally soured raw milk, thick and tangy, drunk plain or with dates. Milk left to sour and clot without a starter, a Bedouin practice that predates the industrial laban now sold in cartons.
How long does Rayeb take to make?
Rayeb takes 10 min plus 24 to 48 hours souring of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes makes 1.5 litres. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Rayeb?
Yes, within limits. Buttermilk as the starter, closer in character than yoghurt. Camel’s or goat’s milk, both of which are used in the Peninsula.
What is the most important thing to get right in Rayeb?
Warm the milk to about 30°C (86°F) — blood heat, no more. Rayeb is a slow room-temperature clabber rather than a heat-set yoghurt, and warming it further changes what it becomes.
