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Viili
Viili: Finnish stretchy cultured milk, set at room temperature and eaten with cinnamon or berries
Viili is a Finnish breakfast staple with a texture all its own: a mild, slightly sour cultured milk that stretches in long ropy strands from the spoon, with a thin velvety layer of mould on top from the traditional culture. Finns eat it straight from the bowl with cinnamon and sugar, berries or muesli. It is set at room temperature, no yoghurt maker needed, using a few spoons of an existing viili as a starter. The common mistake is setting it somewhere too warm, which makes it watery and sour; viili wants a cool kitchen of 18–22 °C. Chef's tip: always use pasteurised milk, and save 2 tablespoons from each batch in a clean jar to start the next one.
- Total time
- 5 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 ¼ cups pasteurised whole milknot UHT
- 4 tbsp viilifrom a shop-bought pot or a previous batch
- 1 tsp ground cinnamonto serve
- 4 tsp sugarto serve
- 5 ½ oz bilberries or blueberries (optional)to serve
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Let 4 ¼ cups pasteurised whole milk come to room temperature, about 1 hour out of the fridge.
Step 2: Put 1 tbsp 4 tbsp viili into each of 4 clean glass bowls or jars and spread it over the base and lower sides with the back of a spoon.
Step 3: Pour the milk gently into the bowls, cover loosely with a clean cloth or lid and leave undisturbed at 18–72°F, away from sunlight.
Step 4: After 18–24 hours, tilt a bowl: it is ready when the milk has set and pulls away from the side in one ropy mass. Then chill it.
Step 5: Eat cold, sprinkled with 1 tsp ground cinnamon and 4 tsp sugar, or topped with 5 ½ oz bilberries or blueberries. Keep 2 tbsp in a clean jar as the starter for next time; it keeps 1 week in the fridge.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 160 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does viili take?
- About 5 minutes in total.
- 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.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of pasteurised whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of ground cinnamon?
- A cinnamon stick, ground: about ½ tsp per stick.
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