Kashk is a full-fat yogurt that is cooked with water until most of the liquid is evaporated and then strained through a cheesecloth. The pulp is then rehydrated with some water and salt to create a reasonably thick sauce-like consistency. The end result is pure umami: a little salt, a lot of tang, and a whole lot of flavor! In Persian cuisine, Kashk is either blended into dishes or quite often drizzled on top of them.
Kashk is most often referred to as liquid whey in English, but that is not really an accurate term. Whey is the liquid left behind after milk has been curdled and strained, mostly in yogurt or cheese manufacturing. Kashk is the actual curds from cooking the yogurt.
Also to confuse matters even more, you can also purchase whey powder these days as a protein supplement. Kashk is none of those, and for the love of God please do not use sweetened and highly processed whey powder in Kashk Bademjoon!
Kashk
Ingredients
Yogurt
- 2 24 oz full fat yogurt
- 48 oz water
Filtering and blending
- 1 cheese cloth
- 3/4 cup water, adjust to achieve your desired consistency
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, adjust to suit your preferences
Instructions
- Place the yogurt and water in a large pot and bring to a gentle boil while stirring. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered over medium heat for 2.5 hours, stirring occasionally. During the final 1/2 hour you do need to stay with the pot and stir frequently and adjust the heat as needed so that the yogurt curds aren't burning on the bottom.
- You should have a pulpy, aromatic and slightly darkened curd in the pot at this time.
- Once the curds have cooled off a bit, place them in a cheesecloth and attempt to wring out as much of the liquid as possible. The liquid is typically discarded, however, if you are feeling adventurous save the small amount of liquid and incorporate it into soups!
- Place the pulp in the blender, add salt and water and blend for a minute or so on high speed. Homemade Kashk will always have a grainy feel to them, so blending them longer can reduce the graininess.
- Once pureed, taste and adjust for salt and consistency. It should definitely be salty but not overwhelmingly so and it should feel like a thick sauce.
- Fresh Kashk will last in the fridge for a week or so, otherwise plan on freezing them in small batches for future use.
Can you confirm the amount for the yogurt? It says 2 24 oz…does this mean 2x24oz, aka 48 oz? Or is it a typo and just supposed to be 24 oz? Thank you…I look forward to making homemade kashk!
Hi Caroline, it is indeed 2 x 24 oz , aka 48 oz of yogurt. Hope you enjoy making the Kashk!
Perfect, thank you!
Thanks so much for explaining this as I have been wondering about these days. Nowadays many recipes call for whey protein and I always wonder if I can use my Kasha instead but never dared it doing it 🙂
My pleasure, glad the explanation was helpful!
Thank you! In my Lose It APP says 44 calories for one Tablespoon. I like your number better😊.
I love it! 😂
Another question for you. How many calories are in a spoonful of kashk. The Ghanadi Yazzie that I buy, doesn’t give nutritional details. Thank you.
I didn’t have any store-bought kashk at home, so I googled it and what I found was that there is 15 calories in 1 tablespoon of kashk.
Does dry Kashk get spoiled?
Fariba jaan, I would keep my dry Kashk in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer just to be on the safe side.
Thank you so much for clarifying the misinformation about kashk. I’ve been giving the wrong information based on what I’d read before. Also many thanks giving us the recipe.
I always keep the store bought jars for over a week and they don’t go bad. I guess th Et must have preservatives? Thanks again!
You are welcome Shahla jaan, I hope you enjoy it! My rule of thumb around homemade food and ingredients is that they can be safely stored in the fridge for about a week. Purchased food, however, of course, does last longer precisely because of all the various preservatives that go in them. With homemade Kashk, I make Kashk Bademjoon or Aash Resheteh right away and then freeze the leftover Kashk in small containers or even ice cube trays for future use.
Excellent idea, freezing it. I’m addicted to kashk in ash reshteh and ash kalam. Thank you! Keep sending us your lovely recipes!