Yasmee's vegetarian cooking

[Haris]

I tried that Quorn stuff with small chicken pieces.

Its texture was alright but to me, it didn't taste like chicken at all.
I think I still have a pack in the freezer.




Nice stuff Yasmeenah.
I take it you have a thing for aubergines?

[یاسمینه]

Haris - yes, you are so smart

[یاسمینه]

Ah, today I made a cheese using milk, rennet, sour milk and herbs. It will be ready tomorrow

[Laila]

wow, that looks like Burani Afghans make.

here is a pic



Its basically fried Aubergine with concdentrated youghurt, garlic and corriander.

tastes yummy

*mouth waters* its been a while since ive had biryani

[یاسمینه]

My homemade bread and cheese

[Laila]

You should learn how to make Afghan cheese. Its eaten with black raisins along with tea.

[یاسمینه]

Laila, sell me how to make it and I will try

[یاسمینه]

Tonight baked vegetables for tea

[یاسمینه]

cold soup made of yoghurt, beet root juice, cucumber, dill, spring onion... Perfect for hot days.

[یاسمینه]

whole grain spaghetti with garlic, black olives, chilli, lemon juice, rucola and parmesan.

[Al Hanif]

That looks delicious Yasmeenaah !

[Tjanaparh]

My homemade bread and cheese

Dear Yasmeenaah, can You give me the recipy of Your cheese?

[یاسمینه]

Dear Yasmeenaah, can You give me the recipy of Your cheese?

4-5 liters of whole milk (not UHT)
rennet
half cup sour milk (if you know kefir you can add it instead of sour milk)
favorite herbs/ spices (my favorite are thyme, garlic and cumin (Carum carvi).)

Milk should be gently heated to 35-38 degrees (not more!). Then take few tablespoons of warm milk into a bowl and mix with rennet (according to manufacturer's recommendations - here we have liquid and powder rennet; usually I add a bit more.)

Add dissolved rennet and sour milk to the warm milk Mix everything and cover with pot lid for about 20-30 minutes (do not peek!). During this time, the milk will turn into a clot.

Cut the clot into small cubes (like 1 cm). Add herb/ spices. Leave for another 20 minutes and then the whey will be separated from the curd.

Spread the cotton cloth into a strainer (colander). Put slowly and gently the curd to the colander.

Let the cheese harden for an hour, then turn gently the cheese. The cheese should be drained 20-24 and turn every few hours.

Once drained, put the cheeses into the brine for 3-4 hours (4 tablespoons salt is dissolved in 3-4 lit of water, it depends how salty cheese you like), so that the cheese flows out. I put at the top of a small saucer to immerse the cheese).

Then cheese is ready

Let me know the results.

[Laila]

Laila, sell me how to make it and I will try

I havent made Afghan cheese myself, but here is a recipe from another online source.


Kishmish Panir (Cheese with Raisins)



Ingredients

1 gallon of milk
White vinegar
Cheesecloth
1 box black seedless raisins
Instructions

In a large stockpot, add a small amount of water to barely cover the bottom of the pan. Add1 gallon of regular whole fat milk to the pot and bring to a boil. Stirring helps the bottom not to burn and the milk to boil faster. NEVER LEAVE UNATTENDED.

As the milk begins to steam, take about 1/4 cup of white vinegar and put it next to the stove. When the milk starts to rise in the pan, add the vinegar in a circular pattern. Take the pan off of the heat. Take a slotted spoon and start helping the curds and whey separate (some people like to lightly salt the cheese, if you would like to, add two good pinches of salt at this point).

After about 5 minutes you should have a good amount of separation. In the sink and over a colander, double fold a cheesecloth and press into the shape of the colander. Using thick, new kitchen gloves (the kind used for washing dishes), slowly pour the contents of the pot into the cheese cloth, when all of the curds are in the cheesecloth, gather the ends of the cheesecloth together and twist. The VERY hot whey will come out and shape the curds into a ball. Press to make it smooth and round. Twist and press two or three times only and the place the cheesecloth on a plate in the refrigerator.

You do not want to twist too much or else the cheese will be crumbly. When the ball has cooled, take it out of the cheese cloth and wrap it in foil until you are ready to cut. Cut the cheese in slices down the ball so that you end up with thick slices, and then cut the slices into cubes. Fill half of the plate with cheese and place raisins on the other half of the plate and serve. The cheese can last 2-3 days, slightly longer if salt was added.

http://www.afghan-web.com/culture/cooking/kishmishpanir.html

[Tjanaparh]

Thank You a lot Yasmeenah and Laila!!


For You also one other recipy, I love so much, that is not exactly cheese, but I love it even more than cheese.
Take 6 liters of low fat milk(that is important for tha quality of the end product so that ou should first take of the fatty fraction).
Heat the milk to about 45 degrees.
Put it into 2 liter glas containers - add for every container 1-2 big spoons of sour milk culture(it may be anyone - even probiotic, kefir, yoghurt, matsun...), close he containers and put them in a warm place or cover them with a wool cover completely.
Let them stay warm for about 20 hours(the product should be defenitely sour).
take big cotton clothes and cover big pots with them.
Put the formed sour milk from the containers inside, close the cotton clothes well and hand them for arround 2 days outside , so that the liquid can drop away.
Now take the left white mass , mix it well with a fork adding a bit salt, so that the taste becomes light salty.
Form balls with a size of a big walnut, put them on a big dish and cover with a slight cotton cloth.
Put them to dry like that under the sun for arround 7-10 days.

Make a good cup of tea and enjoy them with some bread(lavash) and gresh green.