(Creamy Yogurt & Shallot Dip)
Great as an appetizer with warmed Persian Sangak Bread or as a condiment with Kabobs and Persian rice.
Homemade Yogurt
When my folks were first married and starting out in life on a limited budget as some newlyweds are, a lot of what they ate and made were “homemade” or from scratch. Yogurt being a staple in Persian cuisine, my mother recalls my father’s yogurt pillow case, full of homemade yogurt, tied to their kitchen faucet, “dripping” all night long.
Ingredients
- 2 cups homemade yogurt*, Greek style yogurt, or Labneh
- 1 large shallot or 2 medium shallots, divided
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Olive oil for frying
- 1 quart whole milk
- 1/2 cup whole plain Greek Style yogurt , or the last of your previously made yogurt
Preparation
Peel the shallots. Cut the large shallot in half then slice thinly into half moons. Slice both the medium sized shallots into thin rings. In a sauté pan with a little olive oil, fry half the shallots until golden brown. Blot with paper towel to absorb excess oil, and set aside until ready to serve.
In a mixing bowl add the 2 cups of yogurt or labneh. Season with salt and black pepper to taste, then mix in half of the raw shallot. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour. When ready to serve top the Mast o Musir with the golden fried shallots and serve.
Homemade Yogurt
If your oven has a “Bread Proof” setting, this is the setting that allows bread proofing to happen in your oven and reaches the temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit, then bully for you! If not and you have a Yogurt Incubator, or somewhere in your home with a constant temperature zone of 100-115 degrees, then use that source. We’re growing bacteria here, folks. So activate the proof setting in your oven. In a large sauce pot add the cold milk and begin to slowly heat. DO NOT BOIL, just gently heat the milk until steam begins to rise from the top. Stir regularly so that a “skin” does not form or the milk does not scorch on the bottom of the pot.
Pour the scalded milk into a clean non-metal bowl and allow to cool to 100-105 degrees, just right above body temp. Stir in the 1/2 cup of yogurt; do not whisk or mix in aggressively, just gently stir in with a spoon. Cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the oven for 12-15 hours. After 12-15 hours remove from the oven. Spoon the yogurt into a CLEAN pillow case. Bunch up the top and tie with roasting twine. Hang the pillow case above a bowl to catch the whey/water that drips from the pillow case. Allow to drip 1-3 hours depending on how thick you enjoy the yogurt.
Place the finished yogurt into an airtight non-metal container and store in the fridge up to one week. Sweeten with honey and add fruit, vanilla, almond flavoring, or cinnamon. Great with fresh fruit as well. For a more savory option make your own cucumber mint yogurt! Use the last 1/2 cup of yogurt to make a fresh batch if desired.
