curd (in Indian Cooking)

[torakris]

On a trip to a local Indian grocer I picked up a couple of sauce packets and I was planning to make one up tonight however when I read the directions it says to add 300g of curd to the pan with the chicken and sauce pack.

What do they mean by curd?

If it helps any the dish is Chicken Sukha and the brand is Parampara.

[AmyDaniel]

Hi Kristin,

"Curd" in this case is referring to yogurt.

Good luck!

[torakris]

Hi Kristin,

"Curd" in this case is referring to yogurt.

Good luck! 

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That was fast!!

Thank you!

[piazzola]

I use buttermilk to do my curds

Any other suggestions? Thanks

[anzu]

I use buttermilk to do my curds

Any other suggestions? Thanks

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I suspect there's a terminology issue here. When Indians talk about curds, they mean yogurt.

Since you are referring to buttermilk, I presume you are talking about curdling milk to get curds in the sense of 'curds and whey' (i.e. not the sense that 'curds' is being used by Indians).

If you're talking about what to add to boiling milk to curdle it, I've used buttermilk, sourish yogurt, lime juice, lemon juice, and various types of vinegar. These are all on different occasions, of course, not together.

The choice of which agent to use depends on the final taste desired and whether the curdled milk product (hesitating to say curds here ) is going to be used in a sweet or savory dish. In general, vinegar has the most obtrusive taste in the end product, though lime and lemon can be pretty noticeable too. If your yogurt is sour enough, it works well, and I like the taste of the end product.

I've heard of using citric acid as well, but this is not something I've done myself.

If I've completely misunderstood you, and you are talking about making yogurt from buttermilk, then this is another issue altogether. It's not something I've ever heard of, and I would gladly learn more.

Edited September 16, 2005 by anzu (log)

[Adam Balic]

You can also use epson salts (Magnesium Sulfate) or calcium chloride, the former works well for dairy and soy milk curds. It is very quick too.