Here is a recipe for a delicious cup of cottage cheese that’s given a kick of spices.

What is cottage cheese

Cottage cheese is made from the curds of various levels of pasteurized cow’s milk, including nonfat, reduced fat, or regular milk. Offered in different curd sizes, usually small, medium, or large, it’s also available in creamed, whipped, lactose-free, reduced sodium, or sodium-free varieties.

Cottage cheese is considered a fresh cheese, as it does not undergo an aging or ripening process to develop flavor. As a result, it has a mild flavor compared with aged cheeses.

Nutrients in cottage cheese

Cottage cheese is an excellent source of protein and contains relatively few calories. Notably, it’s protein that accounts for over 70% of the calories in cottage cheese. It’s also packed with many nutrients such as B vitamin, calcium, phosphorus, and selenium.

One cup of low fat (1% milk fat) cottage cheese has a mere 163 calories with a whopping 28 grams of protein. It also has good amounts of vitamin B6, zinc, and copper. Source: Cottage cheese nutrition facts on healthline.com

So go ahead and have a cup of cottage cheese for lunch along with your salad or sandwich or even for a fabulous high protein snack.

About the recipe

In this recipe I took a popular South Indian recipe for yogurt rice and substituted the rice with cottage cheese. Typically yogurt rice is made with white rice, yogurt and toasted spices, but here I used cottage cheese as a protein rich substitute.

I lightly salted cottage cheese and then mixed in spices such as toasted mustard seeds and asafetida. Added in fresh chopped cilantro, cucumber and onions or chives, and a squeeze of lemon juice for a delicious savory cottage cheese lunchtime side dish.

Cook’s Notes:

Feel free to use any type of finely chopped veggies in this dish. Try grated carrots, zucchini, onions, or tomatoes for a delicious savory cottage cheese.

Savory Cottage Cheese with Mustard Seeds and Asafetida

Ingredients:

2 cups cottage cheese
Pinch of salt
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp asafetida powder
2 tsp olive oil
Fresh cilantro finely chopped about 2 tbsp
4 tbsp finely cut green onions or onion or 2 tbsp chives
Cucumber cut into small pieces (as much as you want)
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice about 1/2 a lemon

Directions:

Stir together the cottage cheese, cucumber, salt and chives. Set aside.

In a small pan warm oil then add in the mustard seeds and warm until a few start popping. Turn the stove off. Add in the asafetida and stir it into the oil then immediately add the flavored oil to the cottage cheese.

Mix everything together. Taste for salt and adjust accordingly. Garnish with fresh cilantro, squeeze of lemon and stir. Serve alongside sandwiches, soups and salads.