how to make curd or dahi at home

a couple of requests on how to make curd/dahi at home and how to make cottage cheese/paneer…. and thus this post on making curd at home. the how to make paneer post will be posted later.

summers are the best time to have curd (yogurt) just plain or sweetened or in kadhis, lassis, shrikhands or a simple raita.

i won’t be going into the food science of making curd and the fermentation process. will just keep it simple with a few tips to keep in mind whilst making curd at home.

just a note to all my readers of the blog. i am slowly transitioning into a vegan diet. i will be posting curd and paneer recipes as the hubby is not a vegan as yet. but you will also see some vegan recipes as well which are generally made with milk or curd.

was so happy when i made my first vegan indian sweet dish. a recipe which is always made with milk – seviyan kheer/vermicelli kheer. this was  a super success and an is an absolutely no fat recipe. also am glad to have our regular masala indian chai made with cashew milk instead of milk everyday.

handy tips to make good curd at home:

• use a good quality milk. full cream milk yields a thick and luscious yogurt.
• always boil the milk before making the curd. this ensures that the milk does not spoil during the fermentation process.
• the milk should not be hot. if its very hot the milk gets coagulates and you might end up getting a grainy curd.
• if its little hot then the yogurt does not become thick and is a bit runny with some whey in the curd.
• if the milk is cold, then the curd won’t be set at all.
• the milk must be warm. just dip your little finger in the milk and you should feel warm not hot.
• it is very important to dissolve the curd culture uniformly in the milk. whisk very well with a spoon or a whisker.
• if you stay in a cold place or have cold temperatures, then cover the bowl or pan in which the curd mixture is with a warm towel or warm blanket and keep it in a warm place in your kitchen.
• also you could place the bowl in a big large jar of wheat flour and then cover the jar. this is how my mom in law would make curd in the delhi winters.
• in summers the curd will be set faster than in the winters. so keep an eye as we are in the peak of summers in india now….. the month of may has begun….
• you could use any quantity of milk you want to make the curd.
• for half a litre milk, 1 tsp of curd culture works fine. increase proportionally for larger quantities of milk.
• once the curd is set, refrigerate the curd.

this is a step by step process of making curd or yogurt at home:

1: first keep the milk to boil.

2: let the milk come to a boil. simmer for a minute or two and then close the burner.

3: cool the milk at room temperature till it becomes warm.

4: i have used the same pan in which i boiled the milk. add a teaspoon of curd (yogurt) culture to the milk and mix well. your curd is all ready to set. cover and keep at room temperature for 4-5 hours or till the curd is set. you could also keep it overnight also.

5: so now you have a nice well set homemade curd

6: that can be had plain or sweetened or can be made into a dessert, drink or any dish of your choice.

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how to make curd – homemade curd

Prep Time: 5 hours

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 hours, 5 minutes

Yield: 1 medium size bowl of curd

ingredients

• 1/2 (half) a litre of milk
• 1 tsp curd

method:

1. boil the milk first.
2. let the milk become warm.
3. in the same pan that you have boiled the milk, add 1 tsp of curd and mix well.
4. cover and keep the pan for 5-6 hours or till the curd has set.

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