Homemade Yogurt Recipe
Today I am going to share a Homemade Yogurt Recipe. Yoghurt is one of the most important ingredients in Asian cooking. Yoghurt is commonly known as dahi or curd in India. It is a healthy dairy product created by bacterial fermentation of milk using ‘yoghurt cultures’, which is easy to make. I am sharing how to make a thick and creamy yoghurt recipe that is all-natural, preservative-free step-by-step photos with my tips on and texture such that you can cut a slice of it. Here’s how I make curd/dahi/yoghurt at home.
Health Benefits of Homemade curd
Probiotics are a type of healthy bacteria that benefit the gut. They help regulate the digestive system and decrease gas, diarrhoea, constipation, and bloating. Some research has suggested that probiotics can boost the immune system and helps in weight management.
Calcium: Calcium is essential for the development and maintenance of healthy bones and teeth. It is also important for blood clotting, wound healing, and maintaining normal blood pressure. yoghurt is Rich in calcium and phosphorus, curd helps in the development of strong bones and teeth.
Make digestion better: It also calms down an inflamed or upset stomach because probiotic milk product curd benefits gut health. The good bacteria present in curd help to clear out the digestive system. It improves our gut activity and is great for treating an upset stomach.
Provides stronger immunity: Live active cultures in curd help fight disease-causing germs and enhance the immune power.
Controls high blood pressure: The magnesium content in curd is ideal for reducing high blood pressure.
Helps lose weight: It inhibits the growth of steroid hormones or cortisol, thereby controlling the risk of obesity.
Ingredients for Homemade Yoghurt
You need just two ingredients to make homemade Dahi/yoghurt.
Milk: Full-fat milk is best for thick and creamy curd and yoghurt.
Culture: Culture for yoghurt is nothing but a day-old curd or a few days-old yoghurts to add to the milk for setting the yoghurt.
See quantities and complete instructions in the recipe card.
Homemade Yogurt Recipe(step-by-step)
Boil the milk: This process kills whatever unsavoury microbes may be lurking in your milk and ensure you’ve got no remnant bacteria, pathogens, mould, or spores. Heating the milk also creates a thicker yoghurt by changing the protein structure.
Cool the milk to 35-40 °C: Use the same instant read thermometer you used when heating your milk to know when it’s cooled to 35-40 degrees Celcius. You can also test it by dipping your little finger into the milk. The temperature should feel comfortable, warm and never hot.
Add your yoghurt starter: Now take a small amount of curd (starter/culture) from the previous batch or store-bought yoghurt and spread it uniformly on the bottom of the container in which you are setting the curd. To this add warm milk. Cover it with a lid and place this pot or container in a warm place to make the curd.
Stir the yoghurt starter with the rest of the milk: With a help of a clean spoon mix the starter nicely. This spreads the good bacteria throughout the milk.
Place the curd in a warm place to set: Cover it with a lid, and place this pot or container in a warm place to make the curd.
During the summer season, setting it into a thick and creamy curd takes around 4-6 hours. While in Winter, we need to keep it for long periods in a warm environment to set it into a perfect thick creamy consistency.
Place the jars in the fridge to cool and set: Keep the curd in the refrigerator for an hour. It will get even thicker than it is ready to serve.
Homemade curd recipe (step-by-step with photo)
Boil the milk in a pan over low-medium flame. Allow the milk to cool down till it feels lukewarm.
We can check the temperature by dipping our little finger into the milk. The temperature of the milk should feel warm, not hot.
We can also use a thermometer, and the temperature of the milk should be between 35-40 degree Celsius.
Take any ceramic, metal, glass pot or glass jar. Pour the lukewarm milk into the container you want to set the curd. Now take a small amount of curd (starter/culture) from the previous batch or store-bought yoghurt and stir the starter nicely into the milk with a clean spoon. Cover it with a lid and place this container in a warm place to make the curd.
Allow it to set for 4-6 hours depending on the climate. Once the curd is ready, refrigerate it and use it as required.
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Suggestions:
- To get thick, creamy yoghurt, always use full-fat milk.
- Keep stirring while boiling the milk, or else the milk will get burnt and smell bad.
- During The cold climate, place inside a cupboard or closed oven to set.
- The milk must be lukewarm. You could use any quantity of milk you want to make the curd.
- We can make flavoured yoghurt by adding sweetener, vanilla or fruit extract to the lukewarm milk.
- You can use whole, 2% or skim milk: You can use whole, 2% or skim milk. The more fat in your milk thicker the end product will be. I used 2% milk which is why it wasn’t super thick.
- The curd will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 5-7 days in Indian weather.
- The time taken for yoghurt to set will depend on the ambient room temperature. In temperatures around 30ºC, it takes about 4 hours for the yoghurt to set. Start checking the pot after 4 hours, every half hour. It has been set or not set. Don’t keep the yoghurt outside for a long time. The yoghurt will start to become sour.
Side Effects of Curd
- People with arthritis or joint problems should avoid daily intake of curd. Being a sour food, it may increase joint pain.
- If you have a weak digestive system, eating curd at night may cause acidity.
- High intake of curd may cause cough and cold.
FAQs Related To Homemade Curd
The best milk for setting curd is full-fat milk. You can also use low-fat milk, but the curd prepared from this milk may not be as thick and may contain a lot of whey. To make vegan curd, use any vegan milk like cashew milk or almond milk, but make sure that the consistency of the milk must be thicker.
The quantity of starter that we need for setting curd depends upon the type of milk(milk consistency thick or thin) you are using and how much milk we want to set for making curd.
For making 1 litre of yoghurt, I usually use two tablespoons of yoghurt in full-fat milk.
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📋 Recipe Card
Malai Modak (Paneer Modak)
Materials
- 1/4 cup Milk powder
- 1/2 cup Condensed milk
- 200 grams paneer
- 1 teaspoon Ghee
- 1/4 teaspoon Cardamom powder
- 1 pinch Saffron
- 1 tablespoon Milk
Instructions
Preparation:
- Add crushed saffron to the warm milk and Keep it aside.
Modak Dough
- Mash the Paneer with the palm of a hand or blend in a blender until smooth and creamy.
- In a heavy bottom pan, over a medium flame add 1 teaspoon of ghee.
- Add mashed paneer and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add Milk Powder and condensed milk, mix them well and cook over medium flame while stirring constantly.
- Finally, add cardamom powder and mix thoroughly.
- Cook the mixture on medium heat, by stirring continuously until the mixture starts leaving the sides of the frying pan and becomes like dough. This should take about 8 minutes (depending on the type of pan, amount of heat and quantity of the mixture).
- Remove from heat and mix it well. Transfer the Paneer to a Plate and let it cool off until the paneer becomes just lukewarm. Allow it to cool for 3 –4 minutes. Now the mixture is ready to make a Modak pedas out of it.
Modak balls
- Once you are able to handle the mixture, grease your palm with a little ghee and knead it like a dough 2-3 times to make it smooth.
- Now the mixture is ready to make a Modak out of it. Divide the dough into equal portions and roll them into balls.
Mould:
- Grease the mould using ghee and start shaping while still the mixture is warm. Put the ball inside the mould, keep the mould close, and start stuffing tightly from the bottom hole. Then open and gently unmould. Keep arranging on the plate.
Garnish
- Finally, garnish with saffron milk.
Serve:
- Serve to Lord Ganesha and enjoy the festival with family and friends.
Video
Notes
Suggestion:
Paneer: Instead of ready-made paneer, you can prepare fresh paneer at Homemade for paneer Modak. Kesar Modak Peda: For this variation, we have to mix a pinch of Saffron into two teaspoons of warm milk for 15 minutes, then add it to the Modak mixture to give it a nice yellow tinge. For aroma: You can also add a teaspoon of rose water or kewda water to the mixture. Silver/gold Leaf: Just like this kaju katli, We can decorate the top with edible silver leaf or gold leaf. Kesar elachi modak: I have added cardamom powder, but you can add saffron and cardamom both for warm and pleasant flavours.Storage Suggestions
We can store Malai Modak Peda in an airtight container in the fridge. Always store them in a single layer in the container, or use parchment paper between them to avoid sticking. We can keep Modak Peda in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature. But if you live in hot weather, do not keep them at room temperature. Store them in the fridge. Modak Peda will last for 2 weeks if stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
How to make Yogurt at home without a yogurt Maker
Materials
- 500 ml Milk
- 2 tablespoon Yoghurt Culture
Instructions
- Boil the milk in a pan over low-medium flame. Allow the milk to cool down till it feels lukewarm.We can test it by dipping our little finger. The temperature of the milk should feel warm, not hot. We can also use a thermometer, and the temperature of the milk should be between 35-40 degree Celsius.
- Take any ceramic, metal, glass pot or glass jar. Pour the lukewarm milk into the container you want to set the curd.
- Now take a small amount of curd (starter/culture) from the previous batch or store-bought yoghurt and stir the starter nicely into the milk with a clean spoon.
- Cover it with a lid and place this container in a warm place to make the curd.
- Allow it to set for 4-6 hours, depending on the climate and temperature.
- Once the curd is ready, refrigerate it and use it as required.
- Before serving, you can add any toppings, such as fruits etc.
Notes
- To get thick, creamy yoghurt, always use full-fat milk.
- Keep stirring while boiling the milk, or else the milk will get burnt and smell bad.
- During The cold climate, place inside a cupboard or closed oven to set.
The milk must be lukewarm. You could use any quantity of milk you want to make the curd. - We can make flavoured yoghurt by adding sweetener, vanilla or fruit extract to the lukewarm milk.
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it was very good experience for me! first time I made something for my family and everybody liked it