Leben (Middle Eastern Sour Milk)
Photo: Sabah HAANA, CC BY-SA 4.0
Leben is a traditional sour milk drink from the Middle East and North Africa, made with just milk and a spoonful of live yogurt. The yogurt cultures the boiled, cooled milk overnight under a towel, with no special equipment needed. You can push it sour with citric acid or sweeter with sugar, as long as you boil the additions in so nothing stays gritty. It is a simple project that needs patience more than skill.
Instructions
Pour the milk into a large pot and bring it to a boil. Watch for the moment it starts to foam, then take it off the heat.
Let the milk cool until it is at room temperature. Stir in the yogurt and the half and half, if you are using it.
If you want a more sour leben, boil the mixture again and add the citric acid, taking it off the heat once it foams. If you want a sweeter one, do the same with the sugar instead. Do not use both together, since the combination tastes worse.
Skipping the second boil leaves undissolved crystals, which you will feel as grit in the finished drink, so always re-boil after adding sugar or citric acid.
Stir well, cover the pot with a towel, and leave it at room temperature overnight.
Uncover and stir, then serve. Do not leave it uncovered for long, because it turns unpleasantly sour.
To keep it, chill it as you would any dairy product. A metal, steel or glass container is best, since wood stains and can shed bits into the drink.
Make it personal.
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