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Datshi (Bhutanese cheese)

Eggs & dairy · Fresh cheese

Datshi (Bhutanese cheese)

Soft, fresh Bhutanese cow's-milk cheese that melts into the creamy sauce of ema datshi and other datshi dishes.

Also called: datse, bhutanese cheese, dartsi

Around the world: དར་ཚིལ, datshi (dz)

A kind of cheese

2 recipes with it

Photo: Nair A, Choden D, Pradhan M., via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

What it is

A farmhouse cheese made by heating buttermilk (left after churning butter) until the curds set, then draining them. It is sold fresh in small rounds or dried in cubes. In Bhutan it is cooked with chillies, potatoes or mushrooms until it melts into a thick sauce.

How it’s used

  • Melted with chillies for ema datshi
  • Cooked with potatoes (kewa datshi) or mushrooms (shamu datshi)
  • Dried cubes chewed as a snack

Characteristics

Taste
Mild, fresh and slightly sour.
Texture
Soft and moist; melts to a creamy sauce.
Sold as
fresh, dried
Cooking uses
Commonly cooked
Common in
Bhutanese

Storage

Refrigerated. Keep fresh datshi in the fridge and use within a few days.

Diet, allergens and safety

Contains Milk.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
98 kcal
Protein
11.12 g
Carbohydrate
3.38 g
Fat
4.3 g
Fibre
0 g
Sugars
2.67 g

USDA FoodData Central: Cheese, cottage, creamed, large or small curd (a close stand-in).

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Feta — Crumbled; reduce added salt.
  • Cottage cheese — Add a slice of processed cheese for melt.

Related ingredients

Recipes with datshi (bhutanese cheese)

  • Ema datshi

    Bhutanese · 25 min · 108 kcal · Vegetarian

  • Plate of kewa datshi, potatoes cooked in a cheese sauce

    Kewa datshi

    Bhutanese · 35 min · 180 kcal · Vegetarian

More fresh cheese