Labneh with Instant Pot Yogurt
Today is Tuesday, and I am getting my mojo back. Well, at least trying to. A comforting soothing bowl of Labneh goes a long way. An easy to make addition to any meze platter or just perfect by itself, it starts with yogurt. So, yes, easy and perfect instant pot yogurt. A routine and favorite thing to cobble together in the instant pot. And this is a lovely way to tweak and enjoy a nice and large bowl of the yogurt as a light meal. A soulful meal.
What exactly is labneh?
Labneh also spelt labne is essentially a fresh yogurt cheese. It is ridiculously easy to make, but just needs a little time to put together. Hands off time, time needed to drain the whey from the yogurt. There is a general sense of peace in going back to a recipe like this. It allows one to savor the simplicity of a few key and fresh ingredients. I will confess, given the actual amount of hands on time needed to create a good bowl of labneh is about 15 to 20 minutes, it really is something that is more about planning rather than actually hard work.
So, what else, good labneh needs a wee bit of salt, some good quality olive oil and some zataar seasoning. I made mine at home following this recipe, but will definitely post a recipe soon. And, to my labneh, I also added some good fresh bits of mint. After all, few things beat the beauty of fresh herbs. In addition, to being a part of a meze platter, the labneh is great to cook with eggs, spread on toast and everything in between.
Spring this year is turning out to be very pretty and extremely cold. Probably nature’s way of encouraging us to stay at home.
Some labneh tips and tricks
- Do use half and half or evaporated milk as you want a good dense yogurt to start with.
- Do line you colander with a few layers of cheesecloth
- Do salt the yogurt while preparing, it helps the cheese be evenly salty
- Do not skimp on the crackers when serving
How to Enjoy your labneh
It can be enjoyed simply as a dip or sorts. It used to marinate these seriously good labneh kebabs and served as an assortment/meze platter along with some hummus.
f you like this recipe and want more ideas, do join my Indian Instant Pot Facebook group . Of course Instant Indian is a great idea to pick up,right with its siblings The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles and Spices and Seasons.
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A gorgeous and soulful bowl of seasoned yogurt cheese or labneh.
Ingredients
- 3 cups of half and half or equal parts of whole and evaporated milk
- 1 tablespoon natural yogurt with active cultures
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons EVOO
- 1 teaspoon zataar seasoning
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh mint
Instructions
- Heat the half and half or milk mixture to a boil. Allow the mixture to cool down to about 115-120F.
- Stir in the natural yogurt and the salt. Pour into a non-reactive container such as stainless steel. Place on a trivet into your instant pot steel insert.
- Set to 8 hours using the yogurt function.
- Line a large colander with 2 layers of cheesecloth. Spill the yogurt into the colander and set aside to drain for 5 to 8 hours.
- Remove the strained yogurt and place in a serving container. Drizzle with the olive oil, zataar seasoning and fresh mint.
- Enjoy with Pita chips or crackers.