Tarag

Ingredients

Yoghurt

• 1.5 litreswhole milk — cow, yak or camel
• 3 tbsplive tarag or plain yoghurt, as starter

To serve

• sugar, or salt
• boortsog or bread
• berries in summer

Directions

1. Bring the milk to a boil, then let it simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes. This reduces it slightly and gives a thicker set, which matters more with the lower-fat milks of the steppe.
2. Cool to 40°C (104°F) — warm on the wrist, not hot. Camel and yak milk both set at a lower temperature than cow’s, and overheating the starter is the commonest failure.
3. Loosen the starter with a ladle of the warm milk, then stir it back through the pot.
4. Pour into jars or a bowl, cover, and wrap in a thick cloth or a blanket. Leave undisturbed somewhere warm for six to ten hours.
5. Do not move or stir it while it sets. A jolted curd never firms properly.
6. It is ready when it has set and holds the mark of a spoon. Chill for four hours before eating.
7. Serve cold by the bowl, sweetened with sugar or salted, with boortsog alongside. In summer, when the herds are in milk, this is a large part of what a family eats.
8. Keep three spoonfuls back for the next batch — the culture runs indefinitely.

Technique

• The simmer before cooling is what makes it thick. Skipped, it comes out thin.
• Forty degrees, not forty-five. Steppe cultures are more heat-sensitive than commercial yoghurt strains.
• Camel milk never sets as firmly as cow’s — that is the milk, not a mistake.

Substitutions

• Any live plain yoghurt as a starter.
• Cow’s milk, which is what most people will have.
• Sheep’s milk, which sets richest of all.

Variations

• Drained through cloth it becomes aarts, the curd paste.
• Churned, it separates into butter and the sour milk used for aaruul.

History

Part of tsagaan idee, the white foods eaten through the summer lactation season, when herders live largely on dairy and rest their animals.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tarag?

Tarag is a cheese & dairy from Mongolia: thick soured yoghurt from cow, yak or camel milk, eaten by the bowl. Part of tsagaan idee, the white foods eaten through the summer lactation season, when herders live largely on dairy and rest their animals.

How long does Tarag take to make?

Tarag takes 10 min plus 6 to 10 hours setting of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes makes 1.5 litres. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Tarag?

Yes, within limits. Any live plain yoghurt as a starter. Cow’s milk, which is what most people will have. Sheep’s milk, which sets richest of all.

What is the most important thing to get right in Tarag?

Do not move or stir it while it sets. A jolted curd never firms properly.