Homemade Indian Yogurt | Dahi Recipe

Dahi is a gut-friendly fermented milk product made from warm milk and a bacterial yogurt starter.

Curd in the Indian subcontinent, which means Dahi,  homemade yoghurt. Dahi has been a part of Indian food for ages now. Our ancestors did know about its probiotic qualities. Check my video, tips and trick to set perfect curds every time. 

Homemade Indian Yoghurt is a snack, a dressing, a dip a dessert too that most Indians love. The regional names of dahi are doi, perugu, thayir, mosaru or masaru.

Each region in India has a unique way to add curds even in curries, gravies it gives food a delicious flavour.

We have kadhi,  dahi vada, chaas, lassi, raita, thepla, and biriyani. Curds and rice or masuru anna with tempering is much appreciated.

We use it in tandoori recipes too as a marinade, as a souring agent too like in this Chana Madra. Desserts like shrikhand, misthti doi are popular.

Curds topped with salt, chill powder and cumin powder is a side dish paratha,theplas any parathas! 

Then you can eat dahi topped with jeera powder and salt after a meal. Your tummy is aided by gut-friendly bacteria and you digest your food well.

Contents:

• Homemade Indian Yogurt recipe and me
• Why MSK Dahi Recipe
• How to make Yogurt Recipe
• For Your Questions
• Recipes you can make using Dahi
• Recipe card
• Pin for later 

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Why MSK Dahi Recipe

Make MSK Dahi recipe as it is

• Easy
• Healthy
• Gut-friendly
• Does not use any preservatives
• Cheap

How to make Yogurt Recipe

These are the ingredients you will need. For quantities please check the recipe card.

Ingredients:

• Milk 
• Starter curds

Method:

Boiling Milk

• Every day morning I heat my packet of milk in a clean thick-bottomed pan.
• Heat is low and I allow the milk to come to a boil and come up.
• Let the milk cool down. The milk needs to be lukewarm to set curds. ( I use cold milk but I live in a hot climate).

How do you check if milk is warm enough to set curds?

If you plan to use warm milk then...

• Touch the pan from the outside. It should be warm when you touch it.
• Dip your finger in the milk and it should be warm.
• If you have a food-grade thermometer use it. The temperature should be 5 to 96 degrees Celsius or 185 to 204 degrees Fahrenheit.

Now we are ready to set the curds Setting Curd with  2 cups of milk 

• If you live in a cold place or if it's winter use 2 teaspoon of starter curds for 500 ml milk.
• I use 1 teaspoon all the time since I live in a  hot and humid place where we have no winter.
• Use the last night's curd as a starter. You can borrow from your neighbour or buy a good quality curd packet.
• I prefer to get Shri Krishna here or get from a Udipi restaurant some curds use a teaspoon. 
• Apparently, you get dry starters in supermarkets and online stores use them. I am yet to see them here.
• Add the starter to the pot of milk and use a whisk to churn the starter. My mother-in-law stirred 32 times, one for each tooth.  😀 now pour in the pot you plan to set curds.
  • Set the curds in ceramic pots, glass, steel bowls or terracotta vessels. Cover and set aside in a warm place. 
• To reduce pans I add the curd to the pot in which you plan to set curds. Spread the starter around the walls of the pot. Now add the milk.
• I keep my pot overnight to set. If you are in a hurry and need good curds set in 4-5 hours. Then check this video I set the curds in the microwave. 
• Now the speed with which the curds will set in the pot depends on the weather. In hot and humid weather you need lesser starter the time needed for setting is lesser too. 4-6 hours is enough here.
• In a cooler climate, you need more culture and 8-12 hours. My father covers his pot with a tea cosy or an old cap. 
• So here is your well-set curds home dahi, thick, creamy and delicious.
• To check if the curds are well set gently shake the pot. The curds will wobble a little. Smell it it will smell wonderful.
• Refrigerate it to stop the bacterial action. And the curds does not over-ferment and get sour. 

Substitutes:

• Substitute full cream milk with low-fat milk. However, the curds will not be thick and creamy.

Equipment:

You will need

• Pan to boil milk
• Bowl to set curds with a lid
• Whisk or spoon

How to serve:

• I love it dished up in a bowl.
• Mixed with rice.
• As a side to parathas.
• As a raita like in this Khamang Kakdi Recipe

How to store:

• Once the yogurt is set transfer the bowl to the refrigerator.

For Your Questions

Protips:

• For thick curds use whole milk or full cream milk. 
• Use boiled and cooled milk to make dahi.
• The amount of culture you will need for 1 teaspoon for 500 ml of milk. 
• I boil my milk and chill it in the fridge. With this cold milk, I make my curds. I live in a hot and humid climate. I find heating my milk gives me bad texture curds. 
• Hot milk will give you grainy curds. This does not taste good. Also, my whey does not separate.
• The most important part is that your culture should be well dispersed. You can stir or whisk in the culture or like me spread it against the wall of the container. 
• If you live in a cold place cover the bowl with a warm cap, tea cosy or scarf. I know some of my friends leave it in the oven with the oven light switched on.
• If you own an instapot then use the yogurt setting to make your dahi.
• Now the speed with which the curds will set in the pot depends on the weather. In hot and humid weather you need lesser starter the time needed for setting is lesser too. 4-6 hours is enough here.
• In a cooler climate, you need more culture and 8-12 hours. 
• Refrigerate it to stop the bacterial action. And the curds does not over-ferment and get sour. 

Frequently Asked Questions:

• What is the difference between Indian Curds/Dahi and curds elsewhere?

  

  In the Indian sub-continent, Dahi or curds is made by bacterial fermentation of milk where lactose is converted to lactic acid.
  In the rest of the world curd is a product of coagulating or curdling of milk. The agent for curdling the milk is generally rennet, lemon juice, and vinegar.

• So what is the difference between curds and yoghurt?

  

  The line differentiating curd and yogurt is very thin.  It all depends on the bacteria strain used. To make dahi we use the bacteria strain called lactobacillus bacteria.   Yoghurt uses Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus.Source: Wikipedia

• Why do you set dahi at home?

  

  Most Indians will prefer to make yoghurt at home as it is simple and inexpensive. Also, call me a control freak but I know what I am adding in the milk and I do not add any additives to "enrich" my curds.

I live in a very cold place so how do I set my yogurt?

I generally do not have this problem. My place is hot and humid we hardly have cold days.

• But last winter it was cold and to set my curds I used Akanksha's old woollen cap that we had kept aside to giveaway. 
•  A tea cosy is also a good idea. 
• A cloth or scarf or something that will conserve heat.
• The other thing you can do is set the curds in a casserole.
• Keep it in the oven with the oven light switched on.
• Follow my method of setting curds in 5 hours below.

I need curds in 5 hours, how do I manage it?

• In the container that you want to set curds, add the starter and spread it well to coat the container.
• Pour the warm milk.
• Run the empty microwave for 2 minutes or till it gets warm.
• Place the container of milk and starter in the oven and close. Do not open and check for another 5 hours.
• If you do not have access to a microwave or oven, place it in a warm pressure cooker, or casserole. Again resist the urge to check on the curds or shake the container.

How to make creamy curds with low-fat milk?

• In a thick bottomed vessel add a little water and swirl it around to coat the base of the pan.
• Throw out the excess water.  Add the milk and on low flame heat it. What happens is the water does not allow the milk to scorch. 
• Boil the milk for 10 to 15 minutes. Stirring occasionally so that the milk does not boil over and not burn. The burnt milk you cannot use for anything. Just an added insurance here.  
• Allow the milk to cool and then set the curds as I have mentioned above.
• I know one of my cousins used cornflour to thicken the milk before setting curds. How she did it I am not sure I was younger then and now we have lost touch. 

Thanks to Poonam's #255 Dahi Delights under Foodie Monday Bloghop I am posting an everyday necessity. Poonam blogs at Annapurna and her recipes are a treat both for the eyes and the tongue. One of her recent posts like always has me drooling and wondering why I did not buy the Amarnath flour when I saw it. I could have made Rajgira Sheera.

Recipes you can make using Dahi

Recipe card

Nutritional Disclaimer: I am not a certified nutritionist and make no claims to the contrary. Please check with your nutritionist for your dietary needs and restrictions. Ultimately you are responsible for your decisions.

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