Strained yogurt or Labneh, is a classic Levantine breakfast. Due to its resemblance to cream cheese in texture, Labneh is often confused with cheese but it’s not. It’s really just yogurt that has been strained overnight to allow the whey to drain out leaving us with this dense and creamy dip. Labneh has the tartness of yogurt, which makes it refreshing!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 kg yogurt
- 1 tsp salt
METHOD
Lay a cheesecloth over a medium size bowl and pour 1 kg of yogurt in. It’s really important to start with the best quality full fat, organic live culture yogurt that you can find!
Hold the ends of the cheesecloth and tie a knot to hold the yogurt in then tie that to the faucet and let it hang (from the faucet) overnight to drain off the liquid whey in the yogurt. Basically we’re using its weight to get the liquid whey out. You can control the thickness of your Labneh dip by increasing or decreasing the time it’s left suspended from the faucet. We usually leave our about 8-10 hours.
Next day! Remove the pouch, open it and get the labneh out into a bowl. Add a teaspoon of fine sea salt and mix well to combine. And the labneh is ready! It’s nicely seasoned, dense and thick with a rich creamy and slightly tangy flavor. Labneh works great as a dip or as a spread on sandwiches and pairs very well both with sweet and savory flavors.
Serving Suggestions:
- Classic version: just spread some labneh in a small bowl, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and serve with some fresh tomato, cucumber, mint and some olives.
- Garlic-mint version: Mince 1 small garlic clove and add it to about 1 cup of labneh. Add 2 tsp of dried mint. Mix well to combine then spread, add finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
- Pistachio-apricot-honey: To about a cup of labneh, add 2 tbsp of chopped apricots and 2 tbsp chopped pistachios and mix well to combine. Spread and drizzle with good honey and enjoy.
Lemon Laimoon 
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