Milk curd is a dairy product with a creamy texture. It is a natural product that has practically the same nutritional value as milk, although it has not as many nutritional advantages as the yogurt. It is originally from Navarra and the Basque Country and popular in all the northern regions of Spain. In Basque, it is called mamia.
This dessert is obtained by coagulating milk after mixing it with rennet in a process called curdling. That is why its texture reminds people of a solid milk, giving them the literal sensation of eating milk. In addition, traditionally it has been made in a ceramic or clay container called kaiku in Basque language.
Generally, milk curd is sweetened with honey, sugar or even cinnamon.
Recipe Note
Details of this milk curd recipe to obtain 7 – 8 portions of 125ml.
Milk Curd
Equipment
- Pot
- Jars of 125ml
Ingredients
- 1 liter fresh sheep's milk or pasteurized
- 32 drops liquid rennet (4 drops per individual jar)
Instructions
- Pour the fresh milk to cook in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Stir continuously. At this high temperature microorganisms that can be harmful to humans are eliminated, but those that are needed to curdle the milk remain intact.
- Then remove it from the heat and wait until the milk reaches a temperature of about 36 – 38°C. This warm temperature is important so that the curdling process happens.
- Meanhwile, add 4 drops of liquid rennet on each jar.
- When the milk is about 36 – 38°C distribute it over each jar.
- Leave the jars rest for between 10 minutes and an hour so that the curdling process takes place.
- After that, cover the jars with plastic wrap and put them in the fridge for a few hours before serving the milk curds.
Notes
- DIFFICULTY: very easy
- BUDGET: medium-low
Recommendations
In this recipe we use fresh milk. That is why we heat it up to the boiling point to eliminate harmful pathogens. But pasteurized milk can also be used. Because of the pasteurization process the milk keeps the benefitial properties of the fresh milk and can be kept in the fridge for more days. It also eliminates possible harmful microorganisms. That is why if you use pasteurized milk you can skip the part in which I heat the milk up to the boiling point.
However, UTH milk cannot be used to prepare milk curd. This is because the UTH proccess eliminates the bacterias that are necessary to make the curdling process happen.
You can enhance the flavor of this recipe by adding a pinch of salt to the milk before mixing it with the rennet. Instead, you can also add some sugar or another sweetener if you prefer a sweet flavor.
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