Egyptian Yogurt Cheese

When I visited both Greece and Egypt some of the yogurt had a wonderful, rich texture more like cream cheese than the yogurt we eat in the U.S. Because it was out of context, I had forgotten that the texture was the simple draining process I had used before to make what I called "yogurt cheese". It is fabulous on crackers and mixed with various herbs, or as a topping for potatoes in the place of sour cream. In Egypt they served it with pita bread or pita chips.


I use a sauce pan with a steamer to drain my cheese. I know this is probably silly, but it's what I had around the first time I tried it and it worked so well that I continue to do it the same way. I simply drape some cheesecloth over the pan and dump in a 16 oz container of plain yogurt.


I then wrap the cheesecloth around the yogurt and twist a wire bread twisty around the top.


I leave the yogurt in the steamer in the refrigerator for 48 hours. (I often place some heavy bowl on top of the yogurt to help squeeze out the moisture).


After 48 hours, I remove the yogurt and store in the refrigerator for up to a week (if it lasts that long)









Me in Egypt (not eating yogurt cheese at the moment):