Labneh Balls in Olive Oil (Garlic and Herb or Plain)

Make labneh

1. Mix 1 teaspoon salt with the yoghurt. Balance a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl and line the strainer with muslin (cheesecloth) – leaving a large enough overhang of cloth to secure the yoghurt inside. Spoon the yoghurt and salt mixture into the muslin-lined strainer. Secure the yoghurt inside the muslin by folding it or tying it with string. Yoghurt should not leak out. Instead, liquid whey should strain through the fabric. Place a heavy object on top of the secured yoghurt to speed up straining.
2. Place everything in the fridge and leave the yoghurt to strain for 24 to 48 hours until the labneh is thick – almost like cream cheese. Be sure that there is enough room for the liquid to collect without touching the yoghurt – discard liquid as needed.

Flavour the labneh (optional)

1. Once the labneh is thick enough to roll into rough balls, place the labneh in a bowl and add the garlic powder, dried herbs, and salt to taste – I add ½ teaspoon salt. Mix very well with a fork until the herbs are distributed evenly.

Roll the labneh balls

1. With lightly oiled hands, roll the labneh into rough even-sized balls. I use a heaped tablespoon – between 20 and 30 grams – per ball.
2. Place the rough labneh balls on a plate lined with a clean, damp tea towel or muslin. Refrigerate it to set overnight (or for at least 2 hours).
3. Remove the balls from the fridge and, again using lightly oiled hands, smooth over the labneh balls by applying gentle pressure and rolling the labneh balls between your palms.

Storing labneh balls

1. Refrigerate the balls in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
2. Or preserve them in olive oil. Place half a cup of extra virgin olive oil in a sterilised, sealable jar. Drop in the first few labneh balls and cover with olive oil. Repeat until the container is filled and all the labneh balls are completely submerged in olive oil. Refrigerate garlic and herb labneh balls in olive oil for up to 1 month, or plain labneh balls in olive oil for up to 2 months.