Refreshing Labneh Recipe With Garlic and Herbs

Lebanese call it “Labneh” or “Labne,” other folks from the Middle East call it “Labna” or “Lebni” and in the US it’s known sometimes as Kefir Cheese. Whatever the name is, Labneh is one of our favorite dips ever!! It is a simple dip made by filtering plain yogurt overnight and reducing its whey content. You can prepare it easily at home by placing yogurt in a filter overnight while keeping it in the fridge. To save time we tend to buy it from Middle-Eastern grocery stores and our favorite brand is “Arz” by Karoun Dairies, because of its beautiful authentic taste, and because they use milk not treated with hormones or antibiotics.

This recipe is for preparing a very refreshing and tasty Labneh dip.

Labne Dip Ingredients:

1 jar of Labne dip (about 1 lb)
1/2 a cucumber
1/2 bunch of fresh mint
2 table spoons of dried mint (optional)
1/4 to 1/2 table spoon of Hot Chili Powder
4 gloves of garlic
a dash of salt

Preparation:

Chop the cucumber and the mint very thinly and crush the garlic. In a bowl empty the entire Labneh jar, add to it all of the ingredients and mix really well with a fork. Some people use a blender to mix them but this may affect the texture, you can try it out if you’re too adventurous.

Serving:

Pour the dip into a serving bowl, and sprinkle on top some dried mint and a bit of cayenne pepper. You can also add fresh mind leaves on top for decoration. Pour olive oil on it and serve with toasted (optional) pita bread.  The taste should be quite refreshing, with a hint of garlic, mint and cayenne peppers.

We hope you enjoy it. Let us know how it turns out.

Source: Mama's Lebanese Kitchen