Labneh Balls - Dried Yogurt Balls
I first discovered these Labneh balls in Damascus in Syria. I loved how the Syrians use this for so many things, but I especially loved how they rolled this into different herbs, seeds & nuts, because it just looked visually jewel like.
People often mistake these for truffles, and they are visually great to look at and taste amazing on freshly buttered toast for breakfast or can be used instead of sour cream or creme friache in a soup. There are so many ways to use them, we serve them as a canapé for drinks reception, and even package them up for one of our Middle Eastern Royal Families who gives them away as gifts to his friends and clients.
It's so easy to make and versatile, having these prepared ahead of time sitting in the fridge and dusted with herbs just before a dinner party will impress anyone. We make our own yogurt, but you can use organic Greek yogurt from your local grocers or supermarket.
PREP TIME | COOK TIME | SETTING TIME |
10 min 0 min overnight
THE SHOPPING LIST
2 large tubs (500g) of organic Greek Yogurt
2 teaspoon of sea salt flakes
A glug of olive oil to cover
Herbs , Seeds & Nuts I like to use for the Labneh Balls
Dried Mint
Dried Oregano
Red Za'atar
Nigella Seeds (Baraka Seeds)
Sesame seeds
Smoked Paprika
Pistachio Slivers
Smoked Almonds crushed
Rose Dust & Flowers
NO COOKING INVOLVED: Yay!
HOW TO MAKE IT:
Stir in the salt thoroughly into the yogurt
Put all the yogurt in a muslin cloth or even a clean fresh jay cloth, collect the corners and make and tie into a bag.
I dangle mine over my kitchen tap and leave a bowl underneath it at room temperature to let the whey strain away.
Thats it forget about it, ideally leave it for at least 12 hours if you can. I usually make mine at night after we are done with the kitchen and it's usually ready in the morning.
The whey should all be strained and sitting in the bowl, don't throw this away. This is really good to use for some dips like Kashe Bademjan.
What you should be left with, is a think and creamy mixture.
Spoon the Labneh into a airtight container and pour a thin layer of olive oil, this will protect it from mould
This should keep for about 2 weeks.
Spread it, mould it into little truffle balls, use it however you will
SERVE WITH: Toast, pitta bread drizzled with olive oil, in a wrap, dolloped on soup or steak, or simply on its own. Enjoy!
