Kazakh Kurt, Salted Sun-Dried Soured Milk Balls

What you need

• 2 l (8 1/2 cups) whole milk
• 200 ml (3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp) kefir, or plain live yogurt, as a starter
• 2 tsp salt, 1 level tsp per 200 g (7 oz) of drained curd

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Bring the milk to a boil, then let it cool to room temperature.

2. 2

   Stir in the kefir, cover the pot and leave it undisturbed in a warm place until the milk has set and tastes clearly sour, about a day.

3. 3

   Set the pot over low heat and warm it slowly, without stirring much, until soft curds form and the yellowish whey separates.

4. 4

   Line a sieve with a double layer of cheesecloth and pour in the curds. Save the whey for drinking or baking if wanted.

5. 5

   Tie up the cloth and hang it over a bowl until the curd stops dripping and feels thick and dense, 3-4 hours. Squeeze it gently at the end.

6. 6

   Weigh the curd and work in the salt with your hands, 1 level tsp for every 200 g (7 oz), until smooth and no grains remain.

7. 7

   With damp hands, roll the curd into balls no bigger than a tablespoon each, or into short logs.

8. 8

   Set them on a wooden board, not touching, and cover loosely with dry muslin.

9. 9

   Leave in a warm, airy spot or in the sun, turning them once a day, until hard and dry right through, 3-5 days. Keep them away from rain and damp so they do not go mouldy. In humid weather, dry them instead in a food dehydrator at 50 °C (120 °F) for 5-6 hours, then leave them to air-dry for a few hours more.

10. 10

    Store the dry kurt in a cloth bag or an airtight jar and eat it as a salty snack, or soak and crumble it into soups.

Imported from zakon.kz. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.