Curd/ Yoghurt is an important part of Indian diet. In most Indian homes curd is prepared almost everyday. Home made curd is not only very simple to prepare but is also delicious.Moreover it has no preservatives and is also economical.Yogurt has many health benefits. It is an excellent source of calcium. It has vitamin B and protein also. It keeps the body cool, aids in digestion and is a well known beauty aid. Curd is considered a wonderful beauty aid as it does wonders to your hair and skin. It keeps your hair and skin soft and silky. Check out beauty uses of curd. Being a South Indian, curd is an indispensable part of our meals. We have curd everyday for lunch and I use curd to prepare a variety of dishes like aviyal, raita, mor kuzhambu, salad, smoothie etc.
How to make Yogurt/Curd at Home
Prep Time : 10 mins
Cook Time : 5 hours 30 mins
Yields:2 1/2 cup
Recipe Category: Kitchen Basics
Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Author:Padhu Sankar
Yields:2 1/2 cup
Recipe Category: Kitchen Basics
Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Author:Padhu Sankar
Ingredients needed
Milk – 500 ml
Curd/ Plain Yogurt from previous batch as a starter – 2 tsp
Method
1.Boil milk in a pan and switch off. Leave it to cool. Let it become lukewarm.
2.When it is lukewarm, (just dip you little finger to check the temperature) add 2 tsp of curd and mix well. Alternatively you can pour milk for one container to another 2-3 times so that the curd mixes well with the milk. Then transfer the milk to a container with lid. Keep a separate container for making curd. You can also set curd in individual cups as shown in the picture above.
3.Leave the container undisturbed in a warm place for 5-6 hours.The curd will set within 5-6 hours under favorable conditions.
4.Refrigerate once the curd sets. It becomes firm after 2-3 hours of refrigeration. If you leave the curd outside for a long time, it will become sour.
Tips to make curd in winter
In winter or in cold places, curd takes a longer time to set. In addition to following the above steps, these tips might help you.
You can set curd in a casserole and add more culture or starter.(around 1 tbsp)
Cover the container with a thick towel or woolen cloth and then store it in a warm place.
Preheat the oven at 180 degree C for 2 minutes. Switch off the oven.Then keep the container in the oven for 6-7 hours or overnight leaving the oven lights on.
Note
If the milk is too hot, it will not set into curd or your curd will be watery.
If the milk is cold or less hot, the bacteria will not activate and it will not set into curd. So see to it that milk is lukewarm (neither hot nor cold)
Get good quality curd from the supermarket, if you do not have curd from the previous batch.
Do not set curd in the same vessel you boil milk. Have a separate container for making curd.
Always save a little yogurt to make your next batch of homemade yogurt.
Making yogurt at home sounds so easy, isn’t it? You do not need any machine or thermometer or any gadgets for making this delicious yoghurt.
I love to have a cupful of plain curd every day. At times I love to have it with fruits and nuts topped with honey as in the picture below. You can add any seasonal fruits of your choice. At times I add finely chopped dates instead of honey.
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| Yogurt with fruits and nuts |
Curd/ Yoghurt Recipes -Though there are many recipes using yogurt/curd in this space, I have just given a few below.
Onion Pachadi (raita) South Indian style
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Lovely and yummy curd……..
yummy n perfect
That so basic at my place that I cant imagine surviving without it even for a day. Beautiful click.
Nothing will beat the homemade curd,well done.
neatly set thick curd..miss home made curd..well done padhu
I also add thicka (spicy) sev on top of yogurt
Yogurt is the best for humans in every respect
really superb aunty..yummy..
Dear Padhuji
You have used the words cured & yoghurt alternatively to describe the same product. Are not curd & yoghurt slightly different ? As I understand curd is plain while yoghurt is flavored.
Warm Regards Ram
Hi Ramakrishnan
Yogurt is made by adding some starter culture bacteria like lactobacilus to warm milk and allowed to set.But in India, the term curd is most commonly used for it. Btw You get plain yogurt also.
plz tell me baout youself
Why the curd we set at home not as thick as what we get in hotels? Do the hotel guys add any other stuff to milk?
i have kept my curd for 24 hours but stil itz milky not thick wht can i do and itz cold here in melbourne plz help
Pari -Warm temperature is required to encourage bacterial growth for the yogurt to set. Keep the container in a bowl of warm water or wrap the container in a warm woolen blanket. You can preheat the oven for 2-3 minutes to a desired temperature, turn it off and then keep the container in it with the oven lights on.It might take more than 24 hours in colder places.
Thank you very much. This was very helpful… will try it and see how it comes out.
We bought a yogurt maker at home. But we are unable to get plain yogurt or yogurt starter. Is there any method to set yogurt without starter or using any other means? Kindly suggest.
To my knowledge, you need a starter to make yogurt. Yogurt starters can also be purchased dried online.
Thanks for the reply. Can you mention any shop in Chennai /Bangalore?
Have just read on line that you can make yogurt using chilli stems as a starter.
How do I make curd if previously batch curd is not available?
Thanks for the recipe, what type of milk do you use for curd.. Is it 2%,1%
You can use any milk above 2% fat but if you use milk with more fat, curd will be creamy. I have used milk with 3.5% fat.
If u don’t have starter, u can add squeeze juice of half a lime to a cup of milk and set aside. That first cup of curd may be a bit citrus in taste (tasty in its own way) subsequently curd can be made with a bit of this for starter.
It’s good to change the starter occasionally. So this comes in useful.