It has become very popular to buy readymade curd these days. There are many things going for it. It is convenient, well set, smooth, thick and tastes divine. There are a few issues, however, which just kills it for me. It leaves a plastic trail, isn't exactly economical, the ingredients which make it so firm look suspicious and the fear of plastic leachates in curd are a put-off.
I have always seen curd being made at home. It looked as easy as 1-2-3 when Mom did it in hot Rajasthani summers but became as tricky as solving Rubiks's cube when I tried it in cold climes of Europe. Now in Bangalore, I set my own curd and though it doesn't come as thick as ready ones, it's pretty good. The procedure is easy.
Ingredients:
500 ml milk
1 tablespoon curd
Method:
1. Boil milk. Let it cool till it is lukewarm. To test the temperature, dip a finger in milk and count till ten. If you are able to hold your finger comfortably, it is the right temperature. If you can't, wait further.....hum a song, drink some water, take deep breaths....(Trust me, after a few times it would be enough to dip your finger for a second to judge the right temperature) If the milk is not warm enough to begin with, reheat it and follow the above procedure again.
2.Transfer milk into a bowl. You can use steel, glass, ceramic or clay bowl. (Of course, you can use plastic but it isn't my favorite material on earth so I'll give it a miss.)You can also set it in individual ready-to-serve mini bowls or katoris.
3. Add a spoonful of curd and mix nicely. Consider mixing it by transferring from one container to another.
4. Cover it and keep undisturbed for 6-8 hours in a warm corner. Setting time would depend on the climate you live in. If you live in a cold climate, read the tips given below.
5. Open the lid and voila, curd is ready! You can eat it straight away, refrigerate it, strain it....the options are endless.
Tips:
1. If you use buffalo milk, you will get thick and chunky curd like the ready variety.
2. You can make flavoured curd by adding a little of fresh fruit pulp like strawberry and mango. Add pulp after point number 2 and follow the rest of the procedure.
3. If you live in a cold climate, place the bowl inside a casserole. Cover the casserole with a thick towel or a woolen cloth. Alternatively, heat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 2 minutes. Switch off and put the container inside the oven with lights on.
What can go wrong:
At times, your dream curd won't set. Here's what can go wrong and how to fix it.
Curd isn't firm even after 12 -15 hours - It will be in a trishanku semi-solid state. Neither milk, nor curd.
Use this curd to make semolina uttapams. In future, add the curd in larger quantity at a slightly higher temperature. Practice will make you perfect. Try on small batches.
Curd is stringy or slimy - It has set in a semi-solid state with strings in it. Did you use a culture from store-bought yogurt? Use a starter culture from someone who sets homemade curd. As to what to do with this curd? Back to semolina uttapams!
Curd is too sour - Curd has set well but has become too sour. Maybe, it was left out for too long. Use it for making kadhi, handava, chaach or those semolina uttapams :)
For recipes with curd, check out my cookery blog. Enjoy your eco-friendly dahi!
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