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Borano
Melted cheese in hot butter
Borano: Adjarian cheese melted in hot butter, for dipping cornbread
In the hill villages behind Batumi, where cows graze the Adjarian mountains in summer, borano is what a shepherd's family makes when someone drops in: a pan of golden butter, a heap of young cheese melted into it until it turns stretchy and oily, and squares of hot mchadi cornbread to drag through it. It is rich, salty and meant to be shared straight from the pan at the table. A common mistake is using a very hard, dry cheese, which turns grainy and oily instead of stretching. Chef's tip: use clarified butter or ghee so the butter can get really hot without burning, and add the cheese in one layer so it melts evenly. Sulguni and imeruli are often made with animal rennet, so choose a vegetarian cheese.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the borano
- 2 ⅞ oz ghee or clarified butter
- 10 ½ oz young sulguni or low-moisture mozzarellacut into 1 cm slices; choose a vegetarian-rennet cheese
- 1 tbsp fine cornmeal
To serve
- 4 pieces mchadiwarm Georgian cornmeal flatbreads
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Melt 2 ⅞ oz ghee or clarified butter in a small heavy frying pan or clay ketsi over a medium heat until hot and shimmering, about 2 minutes.
2 minStep 2: Sprinkle in 1 tbsp fine cornmeal and stir for 1 minute until it smells toasty.
1 minStep 3: Lay 10 ½ oz young sulguni or low-moisture mozzarella in the pan in one layer. Cook without stirring for 3–4 minutes, until the cheese melts at the edges and the butter bubbles around it.
4 minStep 4: Stir gently with a fork for 1 minute, until the cheese is molten and stretches in long strings, with golden butter pooling at the sides. Common mistake: cooking it longer; the cheese tightens into rubber.
1 minStep 5: Take the pan straight to the table and eat at once with 4 pieces mchadi.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 2 g
- Fat
- 48 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does borano take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of ghee or clarified butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of young sulguni or low-moisture mozzarella?
- Provolone or a mild cheddar, same amount.
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