Homemade CURD ... !

Yogurt or Curd in English / Dahi in Hindi/ Thayir in my mother tongue Tamil is created by bacterial fermentation of milk by using the perfect yogurt culture that consists of Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophiles. These are technical terms, but to make it simple, it’s a perfect antibiotic and increases immunity in children. Many people think curd should not be given to kids when they are down with cold or fever. It’s a NO. Fresh Home made curd (less than 1 day old) has the antibacterial properties to give the perfect energy, especially during cold. It acquires that property because of the fermentation process. Fermentation releases an enzyme that is really good for our health. That’s why idli is such a comforting food during cold and fever. I used to make curd out of 1 cup of milk every morning (trust me - it’s every single morning) , the curd would have been formed by 4pm or so, make “Thachi mammam” at around 6pm and feed my little one when he was between 8 months and 14 months old.


Usually curd is stored in a red stone pot or matka pots to prevent sourness. I don’t have one. So i am storing it in a stainless steel vessel.

This recipe/technique simply focuses on home made curd made from fresh whole milk using the home made curd culture. There are so many blogs and articles focusing on cheese curd, and variety of yogurts which i am not going to deal with right now (in this post). I always prefer to store a cup of my culture and ensure i never run out of it. That’s an important fridge-treasure for me. If i am going on a vacation to India for more than a couple of weeks, then i will ask one of my friend here in Tulsa, OK. Her age is close to my mom’s and she is a wonderful cook. When i moved here in 2016, I was 7 months pregnant. She used to give me whatever she cooks. She invites us to her group’s potlucks  and that’s how we came to know so many people in Tulsa.  A wonderful place to thank her for everything. Her entire family has always been kind to us. Thanks a lot Brinda aunty and Venkatesh uncle. Residing in a place so many miles away from your hometown, friends and neighbors helping us without asking for, is truly a blessing. When i write this, my heart is full of gratitude and thankfulness. I have so many people to thank and definitely a single post would not be sufficient to do that. As I already mentioned, I will be sharing each and every memory associated with a dish appropriately. So coming back to the curd technique, it’s very important to have a home made perfect curd culture. I don’t trust store bought curd and I won’t use that as a culture because that will never give a perfect, non sticky curd. I also read so many posts on making curd without culture, or using lemon etc... PLEASE ... A big NO !! So get a proper culture from whom you trust and then proceed. 


Reason to chose this recipe or i will call it as a technique again , is today is my dad’s 60th birthday. And he is a big thayir fan. Be it idli, dosa , chapathi, upma, poori , anything and everything, the finishing point is curd for him. Before he washes his plate, definitely it will be white in color. Without curd, he can’t survive. My mom never runs out of curd. Everyday she makes curd out of a half liter milk packet. We have to stop serving it. He will never say “போதும்”. So much love he has for curd and so much love and respect i have towards him, made me write this today, on his birthday. My parents would have been here with us now, but due to COVID-19, their trip and the planned simple sastiabthapoorthy (60th marriage) got cancelled. Anyway, I wish him many many happy returns of the day and praying many many more to come. “Happy 60th birthday Appa. Love you so much.”


Lets move on to the technique.


Preparation Time    : 5 minutes

Cooking time.         : 10 minutes

Fermentation Time : anywhere between 3 hrs and 7hrs


Ingredients:


Whole milk (full fat)       - 2 litres

Home made curd culture - 4tbsp


In a saucepan ( i prefer a ceramic or a heavy bottomed stainless steel pan), add the whole milk . Boil it.

Keep stirring it every 3 to 4 minutes to ensure the milk doesn’t get burnt at the bottom. The flame should be in medium - high.

Once it comes to a good boil, turn off the stove and transfer it to another container. I am attaching a video to clearly give a picture as to when the pan needs to be removed from the stove.

Once the milk becomes warm ( it should not be hot and it should not be luke warm, anywhere between these two) , add the culture and mix it. See the hot air that is coming above from the milk. That means the milk still needs to cool down. Those fumes should stop.

Once the milk becomes warm, add the culture and mix it. Give a good mix. The lumps in the curd culture should break and gets mixed with the milk.

Leave it undisturbed for 4 hours to 6 hours. Check after 6 hours. If it’s set, keep it inside the refrigerator.

Enjoy the freshness of thick, non sticky home made curd. These are little pleasures of life that gives immense happiness and pride.

Important Tips :

1) For a beginner, it’s hard to find out at which stage the curd needs to be mixed, so use a spoon and test the temperature of the milk. Check whether its warm (less than hot and more than luke warm). I used to touch the vessel, decide when to add the culture based on the warmth of the vessel. That takes quite sometime. Until you reach that, please follow the beginner’s tip.

2) People living in colder regions - mix the curd in a slightly hot temperature ie., immediately after the fumes stop. Fermentation occurs quickly. Whereas people in India, add it during the luke warm stage. The curd will be set in just 3 hours because of the weather.

3) Trust me, the curd sets in just 3 to 4 hours for me. I will leave it in my countertop. I won’t keep it inside the oven or warmer. Even during winter, i follow the same. That happens once you start making curd frequently. Personally, i feel keeping it inside the oven or any other artificial methods   (like adding milk powder or instant pot) alter the taste. I have tried instant pot method to prepare yogurt. I did not like it personally and it consumes electricity.

4) Please do not use microwave to boil the milk. Please use the cooktop to boil it.

5) Try to set the curd during the morning. It gets set in 5 to 6 hours and you can refrigerate it as soon as it gets set. If you do it in the night , you might have to leave it for a longer time and the curd becomes sour in taste (my personal experience).

Please feel free to post questions if you have, in the comment section. I am always happy to help. !!!

Homemade Ghee ...!!!

Ghee is a form of highly clarified butter that is traditionally used in Asian cooking.

Ghee is made by melting unsalted butter. The butter separates into liquid fats and milk solids. Once separated, the milk solids are removed, which means that ghee has less lactose than butter.

Ghee has a stronger and nuttier flavor, as well as a dark brown hue ( called as “Kasandu” in Tamil which tastes heavenly when mixed with hot plain white rice). So i never discard the hue. I use it while making dosa, chapathi or mix with hot white rice.

From a cooking perspective, ghee provides a lovely flavor to recipes. Especially Hot Ghee Dosa, Hot roti’s , pulao (vegetable fried rice) and the list goes on. It not only adds flavor to the recipes, but is very healthy. By removing the milk solids from butter, the smoke point increases significantly. Smoke point ( also called burning point ) is the temperature at which the oil stops shimmering and starts smoking producing a continuous bluish smoke that becomes clearly visible. Deep-frying, sauteing, for instance, requires an oil that can reach 375 F before it begins to smoke. Higher is always the better.

Smoke point of butter is anywhere between 200 and 250 F.
Smoke point of ghee is 485 F, which makes it an excellent cooking oil.

There was a study conducted in the year 2018 by leading food researchers in India. The result of the study proved that that fat and cholesterol in the blood was healthier in the people who ate more ghee. In the process of making ghee, many of its dairy proteins and carbohydrates are removed, it contains much lower levels of dairy proteins such as Casein and Lactose than regular butter. This fact makes it beneficial for people who are lactose intolerant. Ghee contains butyrate (a fatty acid) which improves digestive health and anti-inflammatory effects.

There are numerous benefits of ghee. Please try to include it in your everyday diet. In South India, ghee is a very important staple. Ghee is used as an Ayurvedic massage and as a base in herbal ointment for treating burns and rashes. I use ghee as a lip balm for my son.

So, Homemade ghee has the unique taste. Once we start preparing the ghee at home, we will definitely stop purchasing it outside. I am not sure about the cost because I have never used store bought ghee. Just for the sake of taste, i go with home made one.

Reason to chose this as my second post is my little boy Cheeku. He loves ghee. That’s the main side dish for everything that he eats. Be it idli/ dosa/ chapathi/ rice, anything and everything. Last week, i made Bajji since he was craving for it. Once i finished preparing and served him in the plate, he told me “ அம்மா நெய் மறந்துட்ட போட ”. I told him “பஜ்ஜி கு நெய் தேவ இல்ல டா செல்லம்“. He said “ எனக்கு வேணும் மா “ !! So much love he has for ghee. In fact, i used to take solidified ghee and pack it safely whenever we are going on a vacation. He easily identifies the taste of outside ghee and will never eat his pappu mammam without home made ghee. My husband is not a fan of ghee. I try to include it when i make rasam, vegetable pulao etc..

I don’t call this as a recipe. It’s a technique which needs to be followed perfectly to yield tasty ghee without losing it’s flavor and nutritional values. I am posting it along with simple tips and tricks.

Let’s move on to the technique.

Preparation Time : 5 minutes
Cooking Time      : 30 to 45 mins

Ingredients:

Unsalted Butter    - 2 LB

Drumstick leaves - handful ( optional )

Use a heavy bottomed vessel or a high quality stainless steel skillet to melt the butter so that milk solids do not rapidly burn. Apply medium to low heat (infact simmer the flame) to melt the butter, because it should not reach the smoke point.

Once the butter has completely melted, increase the flame from simmer to medium. The butter will bubble and begin to separate. Some of the milk proteins sit on the surface as it separates from the fat and water. You can use a spoon to skim most of the white solids on the surface and discard if any of your family member is intolerant to lactose. I skip this step and allow the white solids to sink.

Allow remaining solids to sink by constantly stirring every 5 minutes. Continue to simmer the butter over medium - low heat. I love the sizzling noise the butter makes during this stage.

Make sure to have an eye. It will quickly begin to change a golden color with brown solids formed at the bottom of the pan. When you see this change and smell flavors, it’s time to turn off the heat. Remove the pan from the stove (keeping it above the hot surface might burn the ghee) . 

Allow the ghee to cool for 10 mins. Then strain it carefully to get the brown solids separately. 

As I mentioned, i store the brown solid (Kasandu) ! 

Additional information:

In India, people used to put washed fresh drumstick leaves (murungai keerai) after removing the pan from the stove. Then , strain it along with brown solids. It adds so much flavor and nutrition to the ghee. I do it if i have it and later eat it with the kasandu mixing it with rice. This time, i did not have it. So i skipped that. If you have the opportunity of getting the fresh drumstick leaves, please put a handful of it. That really tastes yum! 

You can store ghee for 1 and a half months at room temperature, refrigerate or freeze for 6 months.