8 pounds Whole Milk Yogurt or Homemade Laban
3 tablespoons Salt (divided)
2-3 tablespoons White Vinegar (if needed)
2 tablespoons Ground Za’atar
2 tablespoons Ground Paprika
1 tablespoon Mahlab
1 tablespoon Nigella Seeds (or Black Sesame Seeds)

Place the yogurt into a pot with 2tbsp of salt and begin to boil over medium high heat. Stir often so it doesn’t burn. As the yogurt begins to boil, the areeshe (curds) will start to form. This will take about 20-30 minutes. The areeshe should separate from the liquid and look like cottage cheese. If this does not happen, you can add 2-3tbsp of white vinegar to help it form.

After the areeshe is formed, strain it from the rest of the liquid through a cheese cloth. At this point, all you should have left is the areeshe which looks like cottage cheese in the cheesecloth. Tie the cheesecloth and place in a mesh strainer over a bowl and let it drain for 24 hours.

Remove the areeshe from the cheesecloth. It should be dry and hard. Break it apart with a fork so that it crumbles. Add the za’atar, paprika, mahlab, black seeds and the remaining 1tbs salt and mix thoroughly.

Now form the mixed areeshe into balls. You can roll them into smaller golf ball size balls or into larger tennis ball size balls. Do this by gathering the areeshe and compressing it in the palm of your hands. Place the balls on a tray lined with paper towels and cover with paper towels. Let this sit out for 4-5 days to dry, changing out the paper towels every day.

After 4-5 days, you can either finish up the shanklish or seal it in a jar to mature. If you choose to finish it at this point, the flavor will be more subtle and creamy. If you choose to mature it, mold will form and the flavors will become more pronounced.

If you opt for the milder flavor, skip this step. To mature the shanklish, place the balls in a jar and seal it. Place the jar in a dark place for about a week. By this time, mold will have formed on the shanklish. After about a week, remove the mold from the shanklish by scraping it off under a small stream of water.

To finish up the shanklish, coat the balls in ground za’atar or ground paprika. You can store them in a jar filled with olive oil in the refrigerator. Serve with onions, tomatoes, parsley and olive oil.