Curd

Amor_ru

Hi all!
May be anyone here knows how to prepare real curd?
I like it so much, that actually, would like to prepare it by myself, but don`t know recipe. Anybody knows?:-)

jjacquemain

There are so many kinds of 'curd'. Do you want to know how to make simple soured milk curd? (Yogurt)

You need a couple tablespoons of starter (yogurt) in order to make it at home. I have made it once before and it was good, but for me the work involved made it easier to just buy it at the store.

__________________
There is no defense against chaos~

steven_ber

An Indian bloke told me that you add a couple of spoons of yogurt (that has gone off) to loads of good yogurt, then put it in a warm place and wait for the whole lot to go off, is this correct ?

__________________
.
How to get helpful replies to your transport/Itinerary questions.



Train information.

SitaParityaga

Unless you get buffalo milk it just won't taste the same.....

jjacquemain

I just used regular 2% milk. Never tried buffalo milk...I guess goat milk would be interesting to use as well.

Never used yogurt that has "gone off" because the smell would be disgusting! (not that it isn't done that way) In the making of new yogurt you do need some that is already fermented properly with all the active cultures so they can start...well I suppose "going off" in the new.

steven_ber

I thought yogurt and curd were the same thing, they both taste awful to me.

jjacquemain

Here is one I had for plain curds...very time consuming if you churn the cream to make butter and get the butter milk! This should be used with raw milk:

For 1 lb of curd: Add 1/2 pint of buttermilk (the liquid remaining when milk's cream has been churned to butter) to 2 pints of full cream raw milk. Heat slowly up to boiling point, stirring gently with a wooden spoon until curds begin to stick to the spoon. Strain through a fine sieve of muslin until cool and dry.

Or perhaps you wanted a lemon curd....MMMmmmm lemon

jjacquemain

cottage cheese is a curd also.....large or small curds....

SO MANY CURDS! SO LITTLE TIME!

Not sure exactly which one Amor ru wanted.....

I do love a good bowl of yogurt with fresh fruit.

-m2-

Here is the lazy way to make yogurt/curd

For equipment, you need a thermometer and a 1litre wide-mouth thermos bottle.
Ingredients: powdered milk (non-fat ok), and a couple of tablespoonfuls of curd from your last batch or a commercial 'natural' (and non-flavoured of course) yogurt.

step 1. preheat the thermos with hottest tap water.

step 2. run the hot water over a thermometer and adjust the tap until the water is around 45C or 110F or a degree or two warmer, as this is the optimum temp and it will cool a bit when you add to thermos.

step 3. pour out heating water then add enough powdered milk into the thermos to make 1l milk (around 1 1/2 cups), and half fill from running tap and stir with wooden spoon. spoon in the yogurt, stir, and fill to near top, stir and put in stopper.

step 4. set the thermos aside for 8-10 hrs (overnite works fine)

and you will have a rather mild yogurt -- pour into a 1l container and put in fridge. There will be some 'whey' (or watery liquid) which you can pour off; if the curd is too 'runny', experiment the next time with any of the following -- slightly warmer water, more starter, longer waiting, more powdered milk -- until you have got a system that works for you. I've been doing it this way for years without problem.

jjacquemain

sounds very easy indeed! M2, have you ever tried this with regular milk? Do you suppose it would work the same?

I'll have to start experimenting

-m2-

yes it will work with regular milk, but just a lot more effort as the directions generally call for you to heat the milk till near boiling, then let it cool to the proper temperature before adding yoghurt and continuing. There are yoghurt making 'kits' using some sort of heated tray and cups (Salton makes one such, or did anyway), but I tried the thermos solution as I had one anyway, and it worked fine. The dry milk and warm tap water was another experiment I tried more or less out of necessity as I was living and working in a place where fresh supplies arrived by ship once a month. I still use the dry milk solution now even with fresh milk available, as it is so easy.

sgeneris

My 2 cts:

(*) You can start a yogurt culture with even tamarind or the stems of a green chilly. I learnt about the last one (green chilly), from a Jain friend of mine. You may also try the plain yogurt (not flavored) from a grocery store (in US).

(*) In colder climates, it is hard to 'set' the yogurt. One of the easiest places to keep the milk overnight, is on the gas stove. If you place the milk/yogurt mixture on the gas stove where the pilot is (between two burners) you will get very good yogurt the next morning. Unless you keep your house really cold (less than 65F or so).

Ann

Well frnds, I think most of u are corrected but stull would like to share my mother tips to prepare Yogurt.

In night, my mother used to first boil th milk & then let it to coll down but not completely... Once the milk is not hot nor cold, My mother puts a table spoon of Yogurt in it. Stir it completely... & then close it put somewhere warmer place....

This was a simple curd... Now there are many other recipes like than of Misti Dohi of Bengal... Well For Misti Dohi, My mther used to put some Gur Ka Ras while boiling milk, then the same procedure as above...

Also, somewhere i read about different tyoes of Yougurt Preparation but couldnit recall it right now... Will post the URl once I get it back...

__________________
Love traveling & Indian Food.

crvlvr

I have to agree with Ann's procedure. Curds/yogurt is caused by the bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria that is introduced affects the taste of the curds. Some families have preserved their bacteria (in the form curds for generations). The milk is boiled so as to kill any other bacteria that may be present and could affect the taste of the curds. BTW some of the yogurt may be pasturized. Obviously those bacteria have been killed and thus such yogurt cannot be used to curdle more milk.