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Ingredients
- Drained of much of its water content, yogurt becomes a thick, creamy product known in the Middle East as labna or labne.
- Drained yogurt is like a moist, fresh, tangy cheese, and it makes a great spread or dip. In Turkey and in the Middle East, a number of dips and salad dressings are based on drained yogurt combined with pureed garlic and chopped fresh herbs.
- Drained yogurt can be mixed with chopped cucumbers for salads or with chopped dried apricots for a sweet and tangy dip.
- 2 cups low-fat yogurt
Preparation
Step 1
Line a strainer with a double thickness of cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Place the yogurt in the strainer, and refrigerate for at least two hours (preferably four hours or longer). Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate again. Serve as a spread, dip, or topping for rice, or use as the base for a salad dressing.
Variations: Mix in any of the following:
1 to 2 plump garlic cloves, cut in half, green shoots removed, and mashed to a paste with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a mortar and pestle
1 to 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh peppermint or dill (or other fresh herbs of your choice)
1/2 cup finely chopped dried apricots
1/2 teaspoon or more ground toasted cumin seeds, curry powder or other spices
Advance preparation: Drained yogurt will last as long as the regular kind, so check the sell-by date on the container. The yogurt will continue to give up water, which you should simply pour away.