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Armenian string cheese
Chechil: braided Armenian string cheese with nigella seeds
Chechil, called tel panir in Armenian, is the plaited string cheese of Armenian families from Yerevan to Beirut and Boston: fresh curd is melted in hot water, stretched again and again into long, fine strands with nigella seeds worked through, then twisted into a braid. To eat, you pull the braid apart into thread-fine strings, good with herbs, lavash and a glass of tan. Traditionally made with animal rennet; vegetarian rennet works too. A common mistake is stretching a curd that is not acidic enough; it melts into a blob instead of pulling. Chef's tip: test a small piece in hot water first, as for sulguni; if it stretches 30 cm without breaking, it is ready.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the curd
- 16 ¾ cups whole cow's milkpasteurised, not UHT
- 1 tsp calcium chloride solutionin 50 ml cool water
- 2 tbsp live plain yogurt
- 1 tsp vegetarian liquid rennetor animal rennet, in 50 ml cool water
For stretching
- 8 ¼ cups water
- 3 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp nigella seeds
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (2)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Warm 16 ¾ cups whole cow's milk to 95°F, stir in 1 tsp calcium chloride solution and 2 tbsp live plain yogurt and leave for 45 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp vegetarian liquid rennet, still the milk and leave for 45 minutes, until a clean break.
45 minStep 2: Cut into 2 cm cubes, stir gently for 10 minutes and drain in a cheesecloth-lined colander for 2 hours. Wrap and leave at room temperature for 6–12 hours, until pleasantly sour.
10 minStep 3: Test a piece in water at 176°F: if it stretches into a long, shiny string, it is ready. Common mistake: stretching sweet curd; it just melts.
Step 4: Slice the curd thinly. Heat 8 ¼ cups water to 176°F with 3 tbsp salt and pour over to cover. Work with a wooden spoon until it melts into one mass, then lift out wearing heatproof gloves.
3 minStep 5: Sprinkle with 1 tbsp nigella seeds and stretch into a long rope, fold it in half and stretch again, 10–12 times, dipping it back into the hot water whenever it stiffens, until it forms fine, layered strands.
Step 6: Twist the rope into a braid and drop it into cold salted water for 20 minutes to set.
20 minStep 7: Keep wrapped in the fridge for up to a week; pull into strings to serve.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 160 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 1 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does armenian string cheese take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 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 whole cow's milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of live plain yogurt?
- Sour cream or buttermilk, same amount.
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