Fresh ricotta, mozzarella, and burrata are handmade at these establishments
You may enjoy slicing into a bursting ball of burrata or a delicate caprese salad, but have you ever wondered how milk becomes cheese? We speak to founders Ivan Chong of Cotta, Dexter Lim of D'Artisan Handmade Cheese and Matthew O'Shea of L Dairy to find out more about the process of cheese production.
Made from only two ingredients–fresh milk and locally-grown lemons–Cotta’s celebrated ricotta cheese is the brainchild of Ivan Chong, who founded Cotta at the end of the second MCO. Chong’s journey to producing fresh ricotta is not without hardship; before Cotta was born, he lost his previous company during the pandemic in 2020. Equipped with a passion for food, Chong opened his restaurant based on one ingredient–ricotta, the namesake of his business.
Cotta's fresh ricotta is made from three kinds of milk, each benefitting different aspects of the ricotta–yield, texture, and taste. The milk proteins, which are used to make the ricotta, are first separated from the whey water before being strained and checked for quality, a process which uses fresh lemon juice from Perlis. Chong divulges that patience is key in the process of making high-quality ricotta: "Care and patience is our secret ingredient to making our ricotta–you must not rush the process."
Cotta | 49M, Jalan Medan Setia 1, Bukit Damansara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur | +6011-2321 2125
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If an extensive array of cheese is what you're looking for, Dexter Lim, founder of D'Artisan Handmade Cheese does not skimp on quantity. Lim produces all types of cheese, ranging from semi-soft cheeses such as burrata and stracciatella to pungent blue cheese. Dried fruit such as cranberries and apricots are also featured in some of the semi-hard cheese, however, what caught this writer's eye was the Truly Malaysia series. Gula Melaka, kerabu, and rendang are just some of the flavours Lim creatively infuses into his cheeses. Cashew-based vegan cheese is also available for the dairy-free.
Lim tells me he had been making yoghurt at home for years when he realised the easiest type of cheese to make is Labneh, a strained, salted yoghurt. Since then, he has made over 80 different types of classic cheese, not including his weird and wonderful creations: "Cheese has a history that dates back over seven thousand years and it's always been done in someone's kitchen, so why not in mine?"
According to Lim, commercial cheese makers use lab-isolated cultures, preservatives, and stabilisers, which he was not keen for his young children to be exposed to. Only milk from grass and organically fed animals is used in his cheese production, which does not contain additives and preservatives. Since the cheese is made freshly upon order, customers should pre-order their cheese four to five days in advance to avoid disappointment.
D'Artisan Cheese | 26, Jalan Gangsa SD5/3b, Bandar Sri Damansara, 52200 Kuala Lumpur | +6012-496 9978
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To create European-style cheese, L Dairy's cheese and dairy products replace cows' milk with locally sourced buffalo milk. Founders Matthew O'Shea, Biren Mohan, and Miftakhul Janah aim to support the community by developing a buffalo dairy farming model that offers education and skills to local farmers. Handmade in L Dairy's professional kitchen is a wide range of buffalo-based cheese such as bocconcini, burrata, and even feta cheese.
While the establishment does not currently have a physical store, its buffalo cheese is available on the shelves of grocers such as Qra, Jaya Grocer, and The Food Company. L Dairy's cheese is also found in over 80 restaurants.
L Dairy | +6017-391 3994
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