+Homemade Indian Curds / Yoghurt/ Dahi/ Thair Recipe:)

+Homemade curds Recipe:

It's amazing how life changes after marriage! Especially simple things such as consumption of curds too .....after being marrying a ' mallu boy ', I was amazed at the way they either mix curd in everything or rather cook almost everything with curd!! Initially it was a culture shock for me, a Rajput( being born n brought up one)!! I hardly had had curd ever in life until then!!

Well as with anyone things changed gradually for me too....I understood far too quickly that I need to master the art of making well set curd as soon as possible...( yes...even curd setting is as good as Art..!!)... well finally after 10 years of marriage, two kids and infinite trials and error methods I came out victorious, this one really works well each time!!!

The important thing is it really works well on our wallets too....and works fantabulous-ly on the health of our kids too..:)

Now I can brag about making my very own dahi- Sakkar, dahi n parantha's, dahi Kari's and fruit yoghurts too...and yoghurt dips, why forget cakes, smoothies....etc etc...for my family..:)

All said and done...it's always a magical feeling when you make that awesome looking n tasting curd and your kids eat it up with so much glee as it were a n-ice-cream....;).

Although your not really doing much...just mixing a spoonful of curd with some lukewarm milk and few hours later it magically turns into yummy homemade yoghurt/ curd!!

Homemade curds Recipe:

Preparation Time: 6-8 hours.

Prepares: 250ml of set curd.

What goes inside:

Fresh milk: 250ml.

Yoghurt: 1Tbsp.

How to put it together:

Heat the fresh milk, bring to boil and set aside to bring to a warm temp not lukewarm(as it's a little hotter than just warm). My mum always says the best test is to dip Your finger(clean!) into the milk and the hold it there for about 30 seconds or so and not feel the need to pull it out before that time. 

The idea is about the fact that when we dip in our finger into the warm milk it must not be too hot or too cool either.

Mix in a tablespoon of curd as a starter into the warm milk, yes that's right we need some curd as starter to make curd. Transfer this mixture into the container in which you want to set the curds in.

 

Use a churner or whisker  to mix the curd well into the milk, this step is most important in the complete process of setting curd, the rest can be left to the bacteria in the starter curd to do the rest of the job in setting the curd and turning the complete milk to thick yummy curd/yoghurt.

Once done keep this container in a warm place. Keep the container closed if possible, and Tadaaaaaa we have yummy set curd ready in a matter of just 6-8 hours! Just the way we get in cartons of curd available in the markets!

Notes:

The type of milk you use for making your curd impacts the result to a large extent. In India we normally have the perks of buying absolutely fresh milk from the milkman directly or from the dairy. My mum in law buys it directly from a local milkman so her milk turns sour in a matter of. Few hours and since the consumption is also high hence she sets curd fresh almost everyday!

Some people use the UHT (ultra-heat treated) milk available in cartons & some use Fresh full cream cows milk available usually in Plastic containers. 

Having tried pretty much every brand available in the markets, I found that Al Rawabi & Al Marai brands of fresh full cream cows milk gives me the best results, here in the UAE.

Fresh milk works too but the more the fat content, the thicker your yogurt turns out to be.

The temperature and humidity of the place you live in also plays a major part in your curd setting process.

Since Dubai is warm through the year( almost 8 months) and quite humid during summers,I can leave the curds to set pretty much anywhere and still turn up with great results. 

Incase you live in a cold place, I would strongly suggest you to use the oven technique. 

Just leave the curd to set in your oven with the light turned on for warmth, or you can even try preheating the oven for 8-10 mins on 50deg c and then leave the milk n curd mixture to set in it overnight.

If your curd is stringy or gooey, that means the temperature of the milk was not right - either it was too hot or too cold. You will have to experiment a bit with the temp of the lukewarm milk to get this step right as for the place you live in. 

If the curd hasn't set even after 6-8 hours (or 10 hours!), it's possible you used too little starter curd amount, the milk was not warm enough or the temperature is not warm enough. Try to use the starter curd also at room temperature so it doesn't bring down the temperature of the milk too much.

What type of vessel should you use to set curd? By my experience ceramic or stoneware and clay ware works best but some people also claim that stainless steel works out the best. 

I use ceramic bowls and love it. When I run short of the ceramic bowls I also use Pyrex glass wares as it's pretty convenient, As they also normally carry an airtight lid to close it once the milk has cooled down helps the setting process for the curd. 

I got this tip from a fellow bloggers group on FB: To make curd without curd as a starter, try adding a couple of dry red chillies (with stalk if possible) into the heated milk. I haven't tried this ever but a friend of mine suggested that this works and makes curd set faster and thicker especially in the US.

I think I've covered most of the things that could go wrong with making curd at home, but feel free to let me know if you have other questions.