Ingredients
Butter
- 1 kgunsalted butter, or the butter churned from summer cream
Equipment
- a heavy pan
- muslin
- clean dry jars
To use
- stirred into milk tea
- in boortsog and pastry dough
- as winter cooking fat
Directions
- Cut the butter into pieces and melt it in a heavy pan over low heat. Do not stir once it has melted.
- It will separate into three layers: white foam on top, clear gold fat in the middle, and milk solids sinking to the bottom.
- Skim the foam off as it rises, and keep the heat low. The whole operation is about driving the water off without browning the solids at the bottom.
- After 30 to 40 minutes the bubbling will slow and then stop, and the fat will turn clear enough to see the bottom of the pan. That silence is the signal: it means the water has gone, and water is what makes butter go rancid.
- For shar tos the solids at the bottom are allowed to take a little colour, which gives the yellow butter its faintly nutty flavour — but only a little. Let them blacken and the whole batch tastes burnt.
- Take it off the heat immediately and let it settle for ten minutes.
- Pour the clear fat through muslin into clean dry jars, leaving every trace of the solids behind. Any solids that go into the jar will spoil it.
- Cool, seal and store. Because the water and milk solids are gone it keeps for months without refrigeration, which is exactly why herders render it in autumn for the winter.
Technique
- Wait for the bubbling to stop. That is the doneness test, not the clock.
- Strain out every trace of the solids. They are what make it spoil.
- Low heat throughout. The difference between nutty and burnt is about a minute.
Substitutions
- Any unsalted butter, though butter churned from fresh cream gives a better result than a supermarket block.
- Ghee, which is essentially the same product from the Indian tradition.
Variations
- Traditionally stored in a cleaned sheep’s stomach or a wooden churn as a winter fat reserve.
- Tsagaan tos is the white festive butter, whipped rather than rendered.
History
Rendered in autumn from summer cream and stored in sheep stomachs or churns as winter fat reserve.
Frequently asked questions
What is Shar Tos?
Shar Tos is a cheese & dairy from Mongolia: clarified yellow butter rendered from cream; stirred into tea and dough. Rendered in autumn from summer cream and stored in sheep stomachs or churns as winter fat reserve.
How long does Shar Tos take to make?
Shar Tos takes 10 min of preparation and 45 min of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 700 g from 1 kg butter. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Shar Tos?
Yes, within limits. Any unsalted butter, though butter churned from fresh cream gives a better result than a supermarket block. Ghee, which is essentially the same product from the Indian tradition.
What is the most important thing to get right in Shar Tos?
Cut the butter into pieces and melt it in a heavy pan over low heat. Do not stir once it has melted.
