Lorik — Homemade Whey Curd Cheese

Name: Lorik — Homemade Whey Curd Cheese
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: very hot water for rinsing, as needed; 2 l buttermilk (pasteurised, from the chilled section); 1 l fresh whole milk (3.5 % fat); 0.5 tsp salt

A basic Kurdish recipe used in all Kurdish regions: Lorik is the white, crumbly whey curd cheese of the villages, made from Dew, the tangy buttermilk left over when yogurt is churned in a leather bag; heated slowly, its protein separates into flakes, which are drained in a cloth. In Turkish it is called Lor, in Iran also Lorik, and in Van it is often mixed with fresh herbs and eaten for breakfast. At home it works with buttermilk and whole milk; it tastes fresh, mildly tangy and slightly salty, fills Sermîsak — filled pastries with Lorik, onion and parsley, crowns Serbidew — boiled cracked wheat with curd cheese and paprika, and with garlic becomes Sîrik — whey curd cheese with garlic.

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Cook time

40 min

🍽️

Servings

🧂

Ingredients

View Original ↗

Nutrition

per serving

128 kcal

Calories

14 g

Protein

7 g

Fat

3 g

Carbs

Ingredients

For 6 servings

Instructions

1
Rinse a large, heavy pan with a thick base, a wooden spoon, a slotted spoon, a large sieve and a thin cotton cloth (muslin or cheesecloth) with very hot water. Pour the buttermilk and milk into the pan and stir together.
2
Heat the mixture slowly over a medium heat, only now and then drawing the wooden spoon calmly across the bottom of the pan so that nothing catches; vigorous stirring makes the curds too fine. Using a thermometer, bring it to about 85 °C, until white curds separate from the clear, yellowish whey; the mixture must not boil.
3
If the whey is still milky, keep heating for a few more minutes without letting it boil. As soon as the whey is almost clear, switch off the hob and leave the pan to stand without stirring so that the curds join together into larger pieces.
4
Line the sieve with the cloth and set it over a large bowl. Gently scoop the curds into it with the slotted spoon and finally pour the remaining whey through carefully; keep the whey in the bowl.
5
Leave the curd cheese to drain in the cloth until it barely drips any more and feels firm but still moist; for drier Lorik, tie the ends of the cloth together and hang the bundle over the bowl.
6
Turn the Lorik out of the cloth into a bowl and lightly fold in the salt with a fork without mashing it, so that it stays nicely crumbly. Put it in a clean, airtight container and refrigerate immediately.
7
Leave the whey to cool, pour it into a clean bottle, keep it in the fridge and use it within two days.
8
Tip: Lorik keeps for three to four days in the fridge; frozen, it becomes more crumbly and a little drier, but is then still good for cooking and for fillings. The whey can replace the water in bread dough or soups and gives them a delicate tang. As a shop-bought shortcut, use Lor cheese from a Turkish shop or well-drained low-fat quark.