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How to make Quinoa Qurd (yoghurt cheese from Quinoa)
You can culture quinoa milk just like soya milk (and dairy milk) to make quinoa yoghurt. If you strain and press that yoghurt, you get quinoa qurd - a vegan soft cheese made of nothing much but quinoa. The following method uses an insulated yoghurt flask (EasyYo or similar) to culture the quinoa milk.
You can use a commercial quinoa milk but some additives affect the culture so choose one with as few additives as possible. If you're using an unsweetened milk you may need to add a tablespoon of sugar to support the bacteria growth. You need a litre of quinoa milk.
You need a culture source such as live soya yoghurt (e.g. Sojade in the UK or Silk Live in the US). Make sure the yoghurt is live and not just a plain yoghurt that's been pasteurised. You only need one tablespoon of yoghurt.
Cleanliness is important with cultured foods. You only want to culture good bacteria. Scald your equipment with boiling water. You'll need a tablespoon and a small whisk along with your beaker (with lid) and the yoghurt flask.
Microwave about a third (330ml / 1.5 cups) of the quinoa milk for 1 minute to pre-warm it before adding the culture.
Add one tablespoon of live soya yoghurt to the pre-warmed quinoa milk
Use a small whisk to thoroughly mix the yoghurt into the milk
Fill up the beaker with the rest of the quinoa milk, stir again and put the lid on.
Fill the yoghurt flask with boiling water up to the top rim of the beaker cradle
Put the beaker in the yoghurt flask
Put the lid on the flask and leave overnight or for around 8 hours
After the culturing period the quinoa milk will have turned into yoghurt and may have set (loosely).
Scald a fine cheesecloth (muslin) in boiling water and line a sieve over a bowl. Pour in the yoghurt and fold over the cheescloth. Put everything in the fridge. The cheesecloth will strain the quinoa yoghurt and the whey will fall into the bowl. The whey should be almost clear like slightly cloudy water.
After another 8 hours or so the strained quinoa yoghurt will be thick and creamy. You can stop here if you want quinoa yoghurt or carry on to make quinoa qurd.
Gather up the cheesecloth edges and pull together twisting slightly. Fold the cheescloth back over and lay flat.
Press the quinoa yoghurt by weighing down with something heavy such as a tub of water (with lid). Put everything back in the fridge again.
After another 8 hours the pressed curds will be firm and can be turned out of the cheesecloth. You've got yourself some plain quinoa qurd.
The qurd will hold its shape when cut, but if mashed will resemble cream cheese.
Quinoa qurd is exceptionally smooth and creamy but has a very strong taste of quinoa. It is best to use it in a recipe (the cooked texture is somewhere between eggs and cream cheese). If you are planning to eat it as a cold cream cheese, add plenty of salt and pepper and a good handful of chopped strongly flavoured herbs such as dill, chives and parsley.
How to make Quinoa Qurd (yoghurt cheese from Quinoa)

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