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DTRI soft cheese or “kesong puti” is a fresh, unripened soft cheese prepared by concentrating the protein, fat, some vitamins and minerals of milk, usually through enzymatic milk coagulation and natural draining of the resulting curd.

On a per weight basis, soft cheese or DTRI “Kesong Puti” contains 5 times more protein and milk fat than fresh milk.

Ingredients:

• 2 liters fresh milk (carabao, cow or goat’s)
• 2 tbsp DTRI coagulant/rennet extract*
• 2-3 tbsp heaping table salt

*Rennet is an extract prepared from a mixture of abomasum, glacial acetic acid, and salt. DTRI coagulant and rennet are available at the Dairy Training Research Institute at UP Los Banos, Laguna.

Materials Needed:

• kettle (casserole)
• perforated plastic tray
• cheesecloth (“katsa”)
• basin
• ladle
• knife
• cheese wrappers (wax paper or banana leaves)
• kitchen thermometer (optional)
• 8 pieces cheese moulds (ex: open-end milk can)

Yield:

• Carabao’s milk – about 6 blocks (approx. weight of 200 g each)
• Cow’s or goat’s milk – about 4 blocks (approx. weight of 200 g each)

Procedure

1. Dissolve the table salt into the milk.
2. Filter the salted milk into a clean kettle.
3. Heat the milk to about 72° C for 1-2 minutes (at this temperature, vapor or steam is seem rising from the surface).
4. Immediately place the kettle of milk i a basin of cold or tap water and stir the milk until lukewarm (about 40 to 42° C).
5. Add the coagulant and stir for one minute. Cover and leave the milk undisturbed for 20-25 minutes. After this period, the milk should be coagulated (custard-like or has a texture similar to “taho”).
6. Cut the coagulated milk or coagulum across with the distance of one inch between cuts. Leave the cut coagulum undisturbed for 5-10 minutes.
7. Arrange cheese mould in a perforated plastic tray lined with cheesecloth. The tray should rest on a basin.
8. For carabao’s milk, scoop the cut coagulum (2-3 cm thick) into the cheese moulds.
9. For cow’s or goat’s milk, [a] stir the coagulum slowly for 10-15 minutes (avoid shattering the coagulum into fine pieces). [b] Remove about a liter of the liquid (whey). [c] Pour or scoop the partly drained curd into the cheese moulds. The thickess of the coagulum  inside the mould should be about 2.5-3.0 inches.
10. Cover the moulds and drain the cheese for 3-5 hours at room temperature or 6-8 hours at refrigerated temperature.
11. After the draining period, lift the moulds leaving the cheese behind then wrap each cheese cake with waxed paper or banana leaves.

Tips:

• Soft or white cheese will remain acceptable within 2 days at room temperature and 5-7 days when stored in a refrigerator.
• Shelf-life of soft cheese or white cheese is longer if the amount of salt is doubled.
• The flavor and texture of the cheese are enhanced or improved 24 hours after its manufacture.
• If cheese becomes moldy within the predicted shelf-life period, do not discard, wash the surface of the cheese with water and it will still be acceptable.

Prepared by: (Contact the same for more information)

Dairy Training and Research Institute
Collge of Agriculture – UPLB, Laguna
Tel: (049) 536-3744, 536-3454
Fax: (049) 536-2205

photo from pinoyfoodtalk.net

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