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Making Soya Qurd (Soya Yoghurt Cheese)
Soya Qurd is a fresh soft cheese made from live-cultured soya yoghurt. Qurd can also be made from other plant-milk yoghurts, such as oatmilk yoghurt. Making qurd is easy, and is worth the effort for making non-dairy cheesecakes with! Makes around 250ml cheese from a litre of yoghurt.
Click on the photos to enlarge.
The Equipment	You'll need a 20cm (8ins) sieve (plastic is best), a large bowl with a lid, and some cotton cheesecloth (muslin). You will also need another bowl that can act as a weight. You will need 1 litre of freshly made live soya yoghurt that has been in the fridge for an hour or two. If your soya yoghurt is runny, this won't work well. The instructions we give for making soya yoghurt will usually make a firm (almost set) yoghurt, which is what you need to make qurd.
The Cheesecloth (muslin)	The cheesecloth is some general purpose unbleached cotton muslin that can be bought from those fabric stalls you find at the market. Cheesecloth is quite open-weave so it would be difficult to substitute with some other cloth.
Scald the cheesecloth	Cleanliness is vital when working with cultured foods. Use plenty of boiling water to scald your bowls and utensils, and also your cheesecloth. A dry cheesecloth won't work as well and also imparts a bitter taste to the yoghurt.
Drain the cheesecloth	Drain the cheesecloth, preferably with tongs to avoid scalding yourself. Open out the cheesecloth to allow it to cool and then squeeze out the water.
Line a sieve over a bowl	Work on a clean surface such as a well scrubbed draining board. Put the sieve over the large bowl. Line the sieve with the cheesecloth.
Add 1 litre soya yoghurt	Pour in a litre of firm soya yoghurt.
Cover with a lid	If your bowl has a lid, place it loosely over the sieve before wrapping the cheesecloth over it. The lid will keep the top of your cheesecloth clean - important later when you press the cheese.
Put in the fridge to drain	Place the draining yoghurt in the fridge to prevent spoiling. Leave it for a couple of hours.
Check whey in the bowl	After a few hours the bowl will contain half a litre of clear whey.
Drain whey away	The whey can be drunk or discarded. It tastes a little bitter.
Yoghurt reduced by half	The yoghurt will have reduced by half and will now be thick and creamy. Use it like this for 'strained yoghurt', or carry on a press it to make qurd.
Twist the cheesecloth tight	Gather up the corners of the cheesecloth and twist it tight to make a ball of yoghurt.
Weigh down the cheesecloth	Weigh down the cheesecloth with a smaller bowl full of water, the heavier the better. This will press out further whey. Put the yoghurt back in the fridge for another few hours
Drain remaining whey	The yoghurt should reduce by half again and you'll get another quarter litre of whey.
Unwrap qurd	Unwrap the cheesecloth and you're left with qurd.
Store in a bowl in the fridge	Store the qurd in the fridge. It's fresh and won't keep more than a day or two. Use it the same day to make cheesecake, or next day to cook with it.
The finished qurd	The finished qurd is quite firm and will hold it's shape after it's been in the fridge for a while.
What to do with your qurd 1. Eat it as a soft cheese Qurd is quite bland, and if you want to eat it as a soft cheese then you'll need to season it well. Take half a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of sugar and pound them very finely in a pestle-and-mortar. Add a quarter teaspoon of nutritional yeast flakes (optional) to the salt and sugar and grind well. Add the salt and sugar to the qurd, along with a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Mix well with a fork or use a stick blender to get a really creamy texture. Vary the quantities of salt, sugar, yeast flakes and oil to get the taste and mouthfeel that you're happy with. The yeast flakes have a strong cheesy flavour so don't put too many in. You can also make a herby soft cheese with the addition of a pinch of fresh ground nutmeg and a few dried herbs - ground finely with the sugar and salt. Fresh herbs such as chives can simply be chopped and added. 2. Cook with your qurd Season the qurd as above and add a little more oil and a dash of liquid aminos (optional, for flavour). Blend the qurd with a stick blender and thin it with a little soya milk. You can now pour it over any oven-bake dish as a light cheese topping. Try pouring it over steamed cauliflower and bake in the oven for a light style cauliflower-cheese. It will bake into a very airy light cheese, rather than a heavy oily cheese. 3. Make Cheesecake This is the best way to enjoy qurd - it's ideally suited to cheesecakes, either baked or cold-set cheesecakes. It's smoother and creamier than using tofu - much more like a dairy cheesecake. Simply take your favourite tofu-cheesecake recipe and substitute the tofu for qurd. You might need two batches of qurd for your recipe, or use half qurd and half firm-silken tofu. If you season the qurd first, go easy on the salt, and add a few drops of vanilla essence. Basic cheesecake tips: Baked cheesecakes are set with a starch, such as cornflour (cornstarch) or potato starch. Cold-set cheesecakes are set with a gelling agent such as agar. If you're making a cold-set cheesecake it's best also to add a couple of tablespoons of a fat that sets in the fridge, such as coconut oil.
Making Soya Qurd

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