Home made Spiced Labneh (Middle Eastern Yoghurt Dip)

Home made Spiced Labneh (Middle Eastern Yoghurt Dip)

Prep time:3 hours

Cooking Time:00 min

Total Time:12 hours

Servings:4

Labneh , in Middle Eastern countries is  yogurt that has been strained to remove most of its whey, resulting in a thicker consistency  while preserving yogurt's distinctive  taste.  It is a basic food at  any Middle eastern breakfast table . It is served with olives  pita bread or crudites.  In my initial days of my settling down in this region Labneh and Laban sounded confusing and I would use these words interchangeably. But now after so many years it is very drilled into my subconscious self  that Laban means  buttermilk and Labneh is the strained yoghurt. Full marks to me for that!

Labneh is indeed  symbiosis of unique flavours. Labneh may seem to be a simple recipe  but it has  grand flavours that leave behind a trail of lingering grandeur even long after you lick your plates clean. You can play around with the  various middle Eastern spices such as sumac powder, zaatar mix to infuse some invigorating flavours in the Labneh. I have begun love these spices. 

A bowl of handmade some home made Labneh is a boon especially when having unexpected guests. In recent times  Labneh has become a one of the MUST HAVE  hors d’ oeuvres for  any of my party menus. Very easy and can be made a day or two  ahead  of the party!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups full fat yoghurt
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2-3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon sumac
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano
• 1 tsp dried mint leaves crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon zaatar spice mix
• parsley and chilli flakes to garnish

Method:

1. Spoon the yoghurt onto a cheese cloth. Add a bit of salt.Bring up the corners of the cheese cloth and tie it.
   
2.  Leave the cheesecloth in a strainer under which is a bowl into which the whey is collected.
3. Keep it in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours. What you will get is a thick lump as shown below. 
   
4. To this you add sumac powder,zaatar mix, dried mint leaves, chopped parsley and a bit of oregano. Leave the Labneh in the refrigerator for sometime to let the flavours develop and infuse into the Labneh. 
   
5. Serve this labneh in a bowl.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil & sprinkle chilli flakes and sumac  on top.
6. Garnish with chopped parsley.
7. Enjoy Labneh with  flabreads such as khubooz, manakeesh or with crudites.
8. Let me proudly show you these arabic bread crispies that I made with the dip. I cut some arabic bread and brushed  olive oil, sprinkled some Arabic spices and shoved them into the oven for a few minutes. Oooooo-la-la the result was amazing!

Tips:

Use fresh cultured yogurt to make labneh. The olive oil should be real fine one to impart a lip smacking taste. 

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