Yogurt (Dahi)

[Suvir Saran]

What would you make with yogurt??

How do you use it in your cuisine?

What recipes do you have that include it?

Where did you get them?

DO you make your own dahi?

What tricks do you have for a good jamun (starter)?

[FoodMan]

I do make my own Yogurt (which I just learned is called Dahi in Hindi ...right?). I heat up about a quart of milk (usually 2% or whole) until almost boiling, then let it cool slightly. I know it is cool enough by administering the "index-finger test": The milk is ready if it is cool enough for me to keep my CLEAN finger in it for no more than 10 seconds (it should still be quiet hot and not lukewarm). Then I just mix it with about a quarter cup starter (yogurt from a previous batch) in a glass container with a lid and then I cover the whole thing with a wool shawl or sweater and leave it overnight (about 10 hrs). The yogurt produced is sweet with a slight tang and a soft custard-like texture, absolutely fantastic. I refrigerate it and remove a quarter cup to freeze in a small container for use next time as a starter (defrost before using !!!).

As for what I use it for!!!!! Suvir my Lebanese heritage taught to love yogurt and regard it as an everyday houshold item and to use it with everything and my love for Indian food even adds to that. I use it plain , with some salt or as a Raita-like sauce (cucumbers,...) with grape leaves, kibbe, Manakiish (oregano pies), Lahm bi Ajeen (meat pies), to strain it into the delicious labne, to cook stuffed Zuchinni in, with most types of kebbabs, with rose water starwberry and honey as a dessert, with granola for breakfast,.......

Not to mention all the Indian recipes I am discovering thanks to you and the generous people on this forum.

FM

[Elissa]

Likely in a book on Ayurveda I read that one ought to always add at least a few drops of fresh lemon juice to yogurt, so I do. Do you know the reason behind that Suvir?

[indiagirl]

growing up, setting the yoghurt for the next morning was a nightly ritual. in fact, in the divison of labor between us siblings, one wiped down the dinner table and counter tops and the other made the yoghurt. the third, for there were three of us, filled bottles with filtered water to put in the refrigerator so that we had cold water the next morning. since filling the water bottles was obviously the easiest job and so the schedule of nightly jobs was rigourously rotated!

we never used lemon/lime juice in the yoghurt, but if i had to make a semi-educated guess, i would guess that it is because bacteria grows better in a slightly acidic environment. too much of it, i suspect, may just result in "spoiling" the milk.

what i use yoghurt for?

i use it in many north indian curries, a yoghurt, ginger, garlic base, i think can be divine.

i use it to make marinades for tofu and vegetables that i then slow cook in the oven in unglazed earthenware (and as an evolving non-vegetarian i have been thinking of using it for fish)

i add it to aviyal, a south indian curry made of mixed vegetables with lots of coconut in it.

i use it to make shrikhand (always the full fat kind with the skin on top). a wonderful maharashtrian (indian state) desert that consists of youghurt that is tied in a cloth to drip overnight and then mixed with sugar or honey, cardamom, nutmeg and saffron steeped in milk. i add nuts, raisins or mango pulp if i am in need of variety.

i dream of using it to make mishti dhoi (simon, do you know how to make this at home?). my dad, a pilot, would bring us back handis (little O shaped unglazed earthware pots) of mishti dhoi when he was on flights to calcutta and mishti dhoi is divine. i suspect it is an aphrodisiac!

and then of course, i use it for the usual stuff like raita, as a substitute for lunch on a busy day (although the bloody cafeteria only sells the fruit at the bottom kind with truly fake fruit), to make kadhi on a depressing winter night, the quickest, most comforting indian soup you can make. i'll post recipes shortly, if anyone is interested.

foodman, i would love to know the stuffed zucchini and labne recipe.

[Elissa]

ummm kadhi please!

and mishti dhoi.

or perhaps just a plane to calcutta.

Edited February 25, 2003 by lissome (log)

[Suvir Saran]

ummm kadhi please!

and mishti dhoi.

or perhaps just a plane to calcutta.

Plane to either Delhi (where Mishti Doi can be better than in most places in Calcutta but true... sadly, the large and growing Bengali community of New Delhi has pulled the best mishti chefs out of Calcutta) or to Calcutta is what is called for.

The Doi divine when made well. And I for one have never had a good home made one just yet.

[indiagirl]

this is the most basic version of kadhi, different occasions and regions call for more elaborate versions - rajasthan (north western desert state, for example, makes a version with deep fried chick pea flour dumplings that are soaked in the kadhi before serving)

i'm sort of winging the recipe here but it's pretty forgiving to slight variation in quantities, like most indian recipes are. you can also make it with buttermilk.

2 cups yoghurt whisked with about 4 cups water

3-4 tbsps of chickpea flour blended with a little water to make a smooth paste

1-2 inch piece of ginger, grated or finely chopped

bunch of freshly cut cilantro

1/2 teaspoon, coriander and cumin powder

1 green chillies, chopped

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

for the tarka:

1-2 tablespoons ghee or butter

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

5-10 curry leaves

1 green chilli chopped

1 dried red chilli

a pinch of asafoetida

mix the yoghurt, ginger, turmeric, green chillies, half the cilantro and coriander and cumin powder until there are no lumps from the spice powders. add salt to taste.

the next two steps can be switched - i've seen them done in both ways. i'll list it in the order i do it:

heat the yoghurt mixture gently until warm. when it appears to be close to a boil, add the chickpea flour paste and stir until thick enough for your taste (i like it to be as thick as heavy whipping cream or slightly thicker, maple syrup would be too thick)

when the liquid is thick enough and no longer smells of the raw chickpea flour, switch to a low flame and make a tarka

(as i was saying, some people add the tarka before they add the chick pea flour for thickening, but i like the flavor of the fresh, just poured, tarka.)

heat the butter on low until the milk fat solids separate and a little caramelization occurs (instant ghee!). add the cumin seeds, asafoetida, and chillies (dry and fresh) and stir until aromatic. add the curry leaveas and cilantro and stir fry for half a minute or so.

pour the tarka into the kadhi (thickened youghurt mixture). allow the whole liquid to come to a boil for a few minutes to blend the flavors of the youghurt base and tarka.

enjoy!

i wish i had a recipe for mishti dhoi. i wish. i wish. the only bengali cookbook i have says the following:

"we listened with attention to an experts scientific treatise on dhoi. naren das of the k.c.das family explained how the lactobacillus bulgaria and streptococcus bacteria which have grown in yesterday's dhoi are mixed into the fresh milk that has been boiled down to half it's volume and then cooled to 40 degrees centigrade. sugar is added and the mixture is kept at a constant temerature until it sets."

the last bit make it a little sketchy for home reproduction i think but i'll have to give it a try one of these days.

sigh

fyi - k.c.das is one of the more famous bengali sweet purveyors.

[Suvir Saran]

Likely in a book on Ayurveda I read that one ought to always add at least a few drops of fresh lemon juice to yogurt, so I do. Do you know the reason behind that Suvir?

Like Indiagirl, I grew up eating yogurt. Twice a day. And large servings of it.

But never was it made with lemon for usual consumption.

The only time we made yogurt with lemon juice as a part of the initial starter was when we made it for Kadhi.

[Elissa]

Once (i think) I helped an Indian friend make fish in yogurt blue with cinnamon. Was it a dream?

Edited February 25, 2003 by lissome (log)

[Suvir Saran]

I do make my own Yogurt (which I just learned is called Dahi in Hindi ...right?). I heat up about a quart of milk (usually 2% or whole) until almost boiling, then let it cool slightly. I know it is cool enough by administering the "index-finger test": The milk is ready if it is cool enough for me to keep my CLEAN finger in it for no more than 10 seconds (it should still be quiet hot and not lukewarm). Then I just mix it with about a quarter cup starter (yogurt from a previous batch) in a glass container with a lid and then I cover the whole thing with a wool shawl or sweater and leave it overnight (about 10 hrs). The yogurt produced is sweet with a slight tang and a soft custard-like texture, absolutely fantastic. I refrigerate it and remove a quarter cup to freeze in a small container for use next time as a starter (defrost before using !!!).

As for what I use it for!!!!! Suvir my Lebanese heritage taught to love yogurt and regard it as an everyday houshold item and to use it with everything and my love for Indian food even adds to that. I use it plain , with some salt or as a Raita-like sauce (cucumbers,...) with grape leaves, kibbe, Manakiish (oregano pies), Lahm bi Ajeen (meat pies), to strain it into the delicious labne, to cook stuffed Zuchinni in, with most types of kebbabs, with rose water starwberry and honey as a dessert, with granola for breakfast,.......

Not to mention all the Indian recipes I am discovering thanks to you and the generous people on this forum.

FM

Foodman, it is called Dahi in Hindi.

And I grew up as you did. Enjoying yogurt greatly and daily. It was served at every meal in the form of a raita. But what was compulsory for each child in our vegetarian home was to have at least one bowlful of yogurt at the end of each meal. We ate it chilled and topped with cane sugar. It gave it more sweetness and a wonderful crunch.

In the winter one would top it with shakkar (brown sugar made with sugarcane).

My grandmother made yogurt as you mention. And yes Panditji our chef would always cover the earthenware pot in which it was made with a woolen shawl.

I had never heard of freezing the starter. In an Indian home there was never any use for that. It was made twice a day. At night for lunch and at lunch time for dinner. That is how it was timed.

And the yogurt was always as you mention...sweet with a slight tang and a soft custard like texture. Nothing like that horrible gelatinous and dense stuff we are using from the supermarkets here. It does the jon for making Indian dishes that need yogurt, but I can never think of eating it plain as I did home made yogurt.

How lucky your family is that you make it fresh. I am jealous.

[Suvir Saran]

Once (i think) I helped an Indian friend make fish in yogurt blue with cinnamon. Was it a dream?

What is yogurt blue?

And yes we make fish in yogurt a lot in India. In fact that is one of the more popular ways of preparing fish.

[Simon Majumdar]

I love yogurt in my Indian cooking

Like Suvir, I have never yet been able to find a good doi made at home. Even in my grandmother's house, we would always head to the local store for supplies. I have never found a taste quite like the doi of Calcutta.

I use yogurt in my marinades ( not just indian - there is sa superb greek recipe I make using a leg of lamb ) and for side dishes ( like raita )

S

[FoodMan]

foodman, i would love to know the stuffed zucchini and labne recipe.

After re-reading my post I realized that I might not have been very clear, the labne and the stuffed zucchini are two seperate food items. Sorry for any confusion.

The "labne" is basically strained yogurt. Just put the yogurt in acheese cloth bag and put the bag in acolander and the colander in bowl to catch the whey. Strain it in the fridge overnight. What you have is "labne", I normally eat it smeared on pita bread with EVOO, salt, olives and soemtimes some fresh mint.

The secret to this stuffed Zucchini is to find the proper zucchini. Not the dark green kind available in major grocery stores but a smaller (about 4 inches long), much lighter in color type. I can usually find it in Middle Eastern grocery stores. To prepare the zucchini for stuffing: wash them and cut off the stem end to form a flat side where it was. Then carefully (this requires some practice) use a zuchini corer (a grooved long metallic shaft with a handle also available in middle eastern stores) or an apple corer to remove the insides of the zucchini without breaking the skin. The properly cored zucchini should have walls not thicker than a 1/4 inch.

For the stuffing:

uncooked rice

ground beef or lamb(roughly half the amount of rice or less)

salt and pepper

butter or samen or ghee (to taste)

mix all the stuffing ingredients together and stuff them in the zucchini tightly but not too tight as the rice will expand during cooking.

to cook the zucchini cover with water and simmer until barely done it should be a little soft. Meanwhile prepare the yogurt sauce. Sorry I have no amounts because I am writing from memory with no recipe, I sort of wing it. Satbilize the yogurt mixture using egg whites (let me know if you are not familiar with the method) so that it will not curdle, add some cruched dried mint, salt and pepper to taste an a couple crushed garlic cloves. then add the yogurt mixture to the zucchini and cook over medium low heat about 30 more minutes until soft and the rice is cooked through. serve immediatly in deep bowls with some extra dried mint sprinkled on top.

Hope you try it and if you do let us know how it turned out. The only delicate part about it is coring the zucchinis. Practice makes perfect.

FM

Edited February 25, 2003 by FoodMan (log)

[Elissa]

Once (i think) I helped an Indian friend make fish in yogurt blue with cinnamon. Was it a dream?

What is yogurt blue?

And yes we make fish in yogurt a lot in India. In fact that is one of the more popular ways of preparing fish.

i like to make it that way too, but have a hunch you'd do it better.

my friend gita made blue fish: white fish in a yogurt sauce that turned the fish blue when baked. she told me that it was the cinnamon that did that.

[FoodMan]

I had never heard of freezing the starter. In an Indian home there was never any use for that. It was made twice a day. At night for lunch and at lunch time for dinner. That is how it was timed.

Currently I am the only one who eats yogurt on a regular basis in my house since my wife is the only other person living with me and she was not raise eating yogurt (she still thinks yogurt = vanilla and fruit flavored stuff). However she does love labne. So the batch of yogurt would last me about a week and in the mean time I freeze the starter so that it would not go terribly sour. I learned this from my mom who made huge batches of yogurt for the family back home and froze some as a starter for next week. You should try it. I have not bought yogurt in a couple of years !!

FM

[Suvir Saran]

I love yogurt in my Indian cooking

Like Suvir, I have never yet been able to find a good doi made at home.  Even in my grandmother's house, we would always head to the local store for supplies.  I have never found a taste quite like the doi of Calcutta.

I use yogurt in my marinades ( not just indian - there is sa superb greek recipe I make using a leg of lamb ) and for side dishes ( like raita )

S

Wow... that is exactly what I did for Doi... I would often pick up some on my walk home from the Bus Stop coming back from school.

Doi is one of my all time favorite desserts. And I do not even waste my time trying to worry about how I could get it to taste the same... I have realized it never will. The milk is not the same... the hands are different.. and the bacteria are different.

I will live to enjoy it from the many wonderful halwais in India.

[Suvir Saran]

Once (i think) I helped an Indian friend make fish in yogurt blue with cinnamon. Was it a dream?

What is yogurt blue?

And yes we make fish in yogurt a lot in India. In fact that is one of the more popular ways of preparing fish.

i like to make it that way too, but have a hunch you'd do it better.

my friend gita made blue fish: white fish in a yogurt sauce that turned the fish blue when baked. she told me that it was the cinnamon that did that.

I am not sure I would make it better than you or Gita. I would only make it differently.

If you want some fish recipes, feel free to email me.. and I shall send you some.

[Suvir Saran]

I had never heard of freezing the starter. In an Indian home there was never any use for that. It was made twice a day. At night for lunch and at lunch time for dinner. That is how it was timed.

Currently I am the only one who eats yogurt on a regular basis in my house since my wife is the only other person living with me and she was not raise eating yogurt (she still thinks yogurt = vanilla and fruit flavored stuff). However she does love labne. So the batch of yogurt would last me about a week and in the mean time I freeze the starter so that it would not go terribly sour. I learned this from my mom who made huge batches of yogurt for the family back home and froze some as a starter for next week. You should try it. I have not bought yogurt in a couple of years !!

FM

Thanks Foodman!

You have me taught me some wonderful things... And now you have kindled in me a passion for making yogurt like my own grandma did till her last day in their home in SF.

Foodman, my grandparents have been to Lebanon a few times.... in the 50s, 60s, 70s and then late 90s. My grandpa was in love with Lebanon. He found it like living between Lahore and Murray (a hill station in Pakistan). He said the people were special, the food amazing and the hearts of the masses as full of hope as the people he had grown up admiring in the poor masses of India.

And then he would tell us tales of the wonderful and decadent evenings he spent in Lebanon amongst the hosts of that country that would make even the most decadent hosts in other parts of the world seem humble.

I look forward to learning more and more from you.... thanks for being so generous with your posts.

[FoodMan]

Foodman, my grandparents have been to Lebanon a few times.... in the 50s, 60s, 70s and then late 90s. My grandpa was in love with Lebanon. He found it like living between Lahore and Murray (a hill station in Pakistan). He said the people were special, the food amazing and the hearts of the masses as full of hope as the people he had grown up admiring in the poor masses of India.

And then he would tell us tales of the wonderful and decadent evenings he spent in Lebanon amongst the hosts of that country that would make even the most decadent hosts in other parts of the world seem humble.

I am glad to hear words like this, especially when it seems that the only publicity Lebanon gets is bad publicity.

On another note can you elaborate on what "doi" is??

FM

[Suvir Saran]

On another note can you elaborate on what "doi" is??

Doi is the Bengali word for Dahi (yogurt).

Mishti Doi is sweet yogurt. Mishti is the Bengali word for Sweet.

[kitchenspecialist]

I made spinach in yogurt sauce to eat with rice and chapathi today.

Ingredients:

1 pack frozen spinach (if you have time to get the fresh spinach and wash it and chop it - use one bunch)

2 cups yogurt (plain, preferably homemade)

salt to taste

For grinding

3 chilies (I use Thai peppers which are hotter)

5 pieces of coconut (each 1/2" by 1/2")

tofu (one piece 2" by 3" by 1/2" thick)

1 tsp cumin seeds

For seasoning (tadka)

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp urad dhal (blackgram -skin removed)

few curry leaves

pinch of asafoetida

Oil -4 tsp oil

Heat the oil in a saucepan or skillet (I use the iron skillet for my cooking) and add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds pop, add the urad dhal and the curry leaves. once the urad dhal turns golden brown, add the asafoetida. Add the chopped spinach and saute till the spinach is cooked.

In a mixer grinder (I use Meenumix mixer grinder) grind the coconut pieces, cumin seeds and green chillies. Grind to a nice paste adding a tbsp of yogurt. Once the coconut is ground well, add tofu to the mixture and grind again.

In a container pour the yogurt, add the ground paste and the cooked spinach. Add salt. You can eat this with rice or chapathi.

Variations of this recipe :

You can use the palak instead of the spinach.

You can steam the spinach instead of sauteeing it. Make sure to drain the water after steaming.

You can boil the whole mixture, if you want it hot and not cold.

For the dahi, I got the starter culture from India. I make my own yogurt at home once in two days.

[pastameshugana]

When we moved from the Southwest US to India, we discovered that plain dahi makes a great substitute for sour cream in soups, on tacos/burritos, and as a base for ranch dressing (with the little powder mixes).

The upside is the health benefits of dahi over sour cream. Making the transition, we had our fair share of stomach bugs, and no tablet could ease the cramping (and related symptoms!) of a western belly in the east. Thankfully, it didn't take long to realize the benefits of dahi (as a mango lassi) or as a topping or dip could save us a world of hurt! It's been more than a year since anyone in the family has been ill, and for most of the westerners here (who don't believe us) are sick once a month or better.

I've also started using it with cream in any creamy Italian sauces for a little tang, as a base for some marinades/bastes, and anything else we can plop it in!

[jayashreetrao]

yoghurt is made as mentioned by other members i.e previous curd to warm milk and allowing it to set for 6-7 hours.but the quantity of curd used has to be very little -a quarter spoon is more than enough.If the quantity of curd added for setting is more, than the curds will turn sour.In south india,curds rice is a must at the end of the food .The curd ,having the good bacteria in it is very good for health.It can be used in salads.Shrikhand is a swet dish made out of hung curd.It can be refrigerated for many days.