Ayran

How to Make Ayran

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1. Whisk the yoghurt alone for 30 seconds to loosen it and break up any set.

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2. Add the salt and whisk it in fully before any water goes near it — salt does not disperse in a thin liquid.

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3. Add the cold water in three additions, whisking hard after each.

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4. Keep whisking for a further minute, until a thick foam builds on the surface.

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5. Taste and add salt a quarter teaspoon at a time. It should taste distinctly savoury.

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6. Pour over ice, spooning the foam on top, and crumble the dried mint over if using.

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A Few Pointers

• Salt the yoghurt before thinning it. Salt added at the end sits in the bottom of the glass.
• Full-fat yoghurt. Low-fat ayran is thin and sour with nothing to carry the salt.
• Serve it colder than seems reasonable — it is a drink for hot weather and hot food.

Ingredient Swaps

• Fresh herbs work in place of the dried mint at roughly three times the quantity — a teaspoon of dried is about a tablespoon of fresh, chopped.

Pairs Well With

Adana kebab or any grilled lamb · Lahmacun · Pide straight from the oven

Storage

Refrigerate up to 2 days. It separates as it stands, which is normal — whisk again before serving and the foam comes back.

Ayran Nutrition Facts

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.