Mint Labneh

Mint labneh

This mint labneh is made from strained yoghurt to which fresh mint has been added. The result is a thick and creamy dip, which is perfect for lamb chops.

Mint Labneh
Mint Labneh
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What is labneh?

Labneh is a strained yoghurt common to the Arabian Peninsula. It can either be fresh, with herbs added to it, or it can be dried. When dried, it is formed into balls, covered with herbs or spices, and preserved in olive oil.

How to make labneh

Labneh is made from either cow’s milk, camel’s milk or sheep’s milk. The flavour will depend on the milk you use. Labneh is made by straining the whey out of yoghurt until a soft cheese-like texture is achieved. From this you can form balls of labneh, roll them in za’atar and preserve them in olive oil. Or follow the Bedouin tradition and dry the labneh by pressing it in cheesecloth between two heavy stones and leaving it in the sun until hard.

Ways of serving

Fresh labneh can be topped with mint or thyme, drizzled with olive oil and served as is. For a snack, scoop up fresh labneh with pita and top with olives. Or use it to make tzatziki as part of a Greek meal. For breakfast, you could serve it with eggs, similar to this Turkish dish I made. Make a dip by adding za’atar to the strained yoghurt. Serve labneh balls as part of a mezze platter, together with olives. You can make labneh into any sort of dip by adding whatever takes your fancy. Try adding peri-peri sauce for something more spicy. Or fresh basil pesto to serve when creating a mezze feast. The choices and uses are endless in my opinion.

Sweet dishes

You can turn fresh labneh into a simple dessert, just by adding honey. Or make a layered dessert with honey and sour cherries. You can swirl pomegranate molasses through the strained yoghurt and add nuts for texture. Another idea is to sweeten the labneh with sugar, add saffron and cardamom and serve with fruit.

Today’s inspirational recipe from Lavender and Lime ♥ Mint Labneh ♥ #LavenderAndLime Share on X

Mint Labneh

 

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5 from 3 votes

Mint Labneh

This thick and creamy dip is perfect with lamb
Recipe Category: Condiments, Side Dish
Makes enough for: 1 325g batch labneh
All Rights Reserved: Adapted from Blackouts And Boerewors page 9

Ingredients

for the labneh

  • 500 g thick yoghurt
  • 2.5 mls fine salt
  • 1 lemon, zest only

for the mint labneh

  • 10 g mint leaves, chopped
  • 5 mls ground cumin
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 lemon, zest and juice
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

Method

for the labneh

  • Place the yoghurt into a bowl, add the salt and lemon zest and stir to combine
  • Line a sieve with muslin, place over a bowl and spoon the yoghurt into the sieve
  • Cover and place into the fridge for the whey to strain off for 24 hours

for the mint labneh

  • Remove the bowl from the fridge, discard the whey and spoon the labneh into a clean bowl
  • Add the mint, cumin, garlic, lemon zest and juice and stir to combine
  • Season to taste, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour for the flavours to develop
  • You can keep this in stored in the fridge for up to two weeks
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13 thoughts on “Mint Labneh

  1. Love, love, love labneh and must have nade it, largely for breakfast on black or sweet-sour bread since I first entered sa kitchen in my twenties Must try mint . . . I usually pile dill on the concoction! Hmm . . . on days I am not talking of raw herring and anchovies peri-peri is a good suggestion ! Yum !!!

  2. this looks great Tandy. I am fascinated that you use mLs for dry ingredients like salt. Here in australia we use grams for dry stuff and mils for the wet stuff!

  3. My husband grew up eating labneh and his mom taught me to make it over 50 years ago when we married. It has been a staple in our home ever since. We eat it plain with olive oil and za’atar. Your recipe looks very interesting and we do love fresh mint. I’ll have to give it a try. Thanks Tandy.

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