Making Soya Qurd (Soya Yoghurt Cheese) | |||||||||||||
Making qurd is easy, and is worth the effort for making non-dairy cheesecakes with! Makes around 250ml cheese from a litre of yoghurt. |
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Click on the photos to enlarge. | |||||||||||||
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. | ||||||||||||
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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. |
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Pour in a litre of firm soya yoghurt. | ||||||||||||
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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. |
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Place the draining yoghurt in the fridge to prevent spoiling. Leave it for a couple of hours. |
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After a few hours the bowl will contain half a litre of clear whey. | ||||||||||||
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The whey can be drunk or discarded. It tastes a little bitter. |
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The yoghurt will have reduced by half and will now be thick and creamy. Use it like this for 'strained yoghurt', |
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Gather up the corners of the cheesecloth and twist it tight to make a ball of yoghurt. | ||||||||||||
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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 |
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The yoghurt should reduce by half again and you'll get another quarter litre of whey. | ||||||||||||
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Unwrap the cheesecloth and you're left with qurd. | ||||||||||||
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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. |
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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 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 3. Make Cheesecake 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. |
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Making Soya Qurd |
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