Best Curd in the World

grravi

I think the clay utensil removes some of the water in the milk through permeation ( same principle that makes water cold in a clay pot in summer), and makes the curd thicker. If washed well, a clay utensil is not unhygienic at all, after all it is baked at high temperature during the manufacturing process.

grravi

Also, the bacterial action is best at a temperature between 37-40 deg Centigrade. If you can keep the milk at that temperature, you will get the best curd. It can be done in an oven, by wrapping a old sweater, or any other way. In India, due to the temperate climate, you can make curd anywhere in summer without any effort ( though in winter, in the north it could be a bit of a struggle)

blueprairie

You're welcome. I found the Thermos technique in an English cookbook by Elizabeth David.

It is so easy and so reliable that I make it every week. The reason I reduce the milk is because I use 2% milk and reducing it by 1/3 makes a very thick yogurt. If I stir it into a gravy or a sauce as a thickener it doesn't separate and get grainy the way commercially-made yogurt does--that is, if I stir it in at the end of the recipe. I have not tried to "cook" it yet.

I have read in different cookbooks that the very best yogurt comes from either raw (unpasteurized) full-fat milk, or goat's milk. Alas I have no access to raw milk or to goats (at least not the four-legged kind...)

Nick-H

Gosh... it's not that hot in Chennai for 8 months of the year, and the curd is still good

Absorbing some water seems to make sense, but the evaporation would have a cooling effect.

I'm still worried about the hygiene: I would guess that micro-organisms are a hell of a lot smaller than the pores in a pot. Maybe that's part of the secret: that they fill up with the curd bacteria?

I'll Just have to try it one day....

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Pintz

Well...did I say a dirty, unwashed pullover? Come on Nick... what I mean is any thick wool covering would do just fine!

Nick-H

You just spoilt my mental picture











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fsg

Thanks BlueP. Your receipe is good.
Yes, I'm sure the milk used in S India is unpasteurized. The milkman calls twice a day, 5.30 am, and rings his bike bell loudly. I tried to make it myself, but was not as good as 'downstairs; makes it so get her to do it. at 11 rupees for 1 liter of milk , thats not bad for decent curd. I always strain it , to remove some of the whey.

In Yuksam this March, the curd was made with, I think dzo milk, and you could very distinctly taste the high fat content. It was cold enough there to freeze the proverbials of a brass monkey, so I wonder how they kept the temperature warm enough to set.

On the train we had some curd in a plastic pot, not nearly as good as the clay pots. Maybe its the 'secret ingredient' extra bacteria.

Nick-H

If you buy it in a sealed plastic bag it is pasteurised.

If it is ladled out of jug into your jug then it is not.

fsg

Nick what other defination do you have for the word sure?

Nick-H

The milk we buy in this part of S. India is pasteurised.

There couldn't be enough cows in Central Chennai to provide unpasteurised milk for its population. But if I wanted it, there is a woman with a cow at the end of our street!

In rural areas I'm sure unpasteurised is readily available.

So I'm saying that your generalisation is kind-of wrong.

But kind-of right as well!

I hope we can agree on that!

Gardener972

My Indian friend taught me how to make it. I make a quart at a time. Bring 1 qt. milk (any percent) to an almost boil then let it cool to just warm (the warmth of a baby bottle). Add about a tablespoon of the original yogurt to it, stir well. Put it in an unheated oven with the LIGHT ON for about 8 hrs. You will have the most wonderful yogurt in the morning. I got my original yogurt from an Indian grocery store. The longer you leave it in the oven, the more tart it becomes.

edwardseco

Nobody beats Indian Railways yogurt. It has memories decades at length in association..

Nick-H

Gardener, we not only boil ours, but let it simmer for a minute or two.

Then, in this climate (but Texas is quite hot, isn't it?) it will thicken if left out overnight.

I don't know why the difference, but ours is not tart at all --- unless we don't eat it for a week!

iloveindia1234

I have seen that indian curd varies from region to region.
In karnataka they make curd out of cows milk. It is thick and fine but not as thick as the curd which is you get in Maharastra. I loved curd when travelling across Maharastra. it was thick and tasty . I would not spill over even when i tilt my cup upside down. When i asked them how they made it they told me they used buffalo milk

Amyth

The best Curd?!! I can never forget the one I had in Kolkata, even though it was a decade ago, the sweet taste of the curds still lingers in my mouth. It is called Mishti-Dhoi (Sweet-curds), served in an earthen pot - worth a splurge! This curds has a yellowish tinge. I guess the trick is to boil the milk with sugar till it reduces to half, cool it down to lukewarm temp. and curdle with the sweet-curds bacteria (a spoon of the same curd).

And please don't throw the whey from the curds, it's as good as de-fortifying the curds. If you can't tolerate it in curds, use it to knead the dough or to dilute any indian curry ; it can make a tasty replacement for water

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