NOOR RECIPE

Traditional Cypriot Cheese Recipe

Noor (or Anari) is a traditional whey cheese which is made using the by-whey of halloumi. Halloumi (Helim in Turkish) is a type of white-brined cheese made throughout the Middle East but most especially in Cyprus. Noor is similar to Italain Ricotta and American Cottage Cheese in texture and flavor. We travelled to Lefke, Cyprus where Zekiye, a local Cypriot known throughout her village for her halloumi cheese, spent the day with us showing us her generations old recipe. Check it out below!

Makes 1/2 cup of Noor

Time to Make Noor Cheese:

Prepare the whey from the Halloumi Recipe.
Heat the whey, stirring the whey as it heats.
Remove any residual curds from the halloumi cheese.
Once the curds are removed and the whey is too hot to place your finger in for more than one second, add 1 L of milk.
Cut a lemon in half, juice it over a strainer into the heating whey, then place the squeezed lemon into the strainer and submerge it into the whey. Made with Love Tip: Zekiye submerges the entire lemon to retain the positive coagulation effects of the lemon rind.
Add a handful of salt to the whey and milk.
Keep the flame on high and continue to stir the whey with a wooden pole or spoon.
The liquid will begin to curdle but keep stirring slowly and in the same direction.
Once the liquid starts to bubble and boil add a pot (.5 L) of cold water around the edges and then into the center of the pot.
The cold water will separate the curds from the side of the pot and it will also cool down the mixture.
Make sure to prepare the cheese molds on the aluminum pan just as you did for the halloumi.
Keep the flame on and with a straining spoon, remove the curdled milk into the cheese molds. After about 20 minutes or when the whey is no longer seeping from the cheese molds, flip the cheese mold upside down onto your hand and then carefully place the curd back into the straining cup so that it now faces the opposite direction. Wait for the noor to cool as you finish making the halloumi.
To eat the noor, sprinkle it with a little honey or sugar. You can also add walnuts! Enjoy your noor, handmade with love.