How to make Curds (Natural Yogurt)

Being a South Indian I always thought making Curds is a natural process which need not have to be taught. But of late I have found few of my friends asking me how to make Curds /Yogurt at home. Here is the Secret.

• If you buy cow's milk or fresh milk from market, Boil the milk and let it cool down.
• It has to cool sufficiently well till it is just above room temperature , that is Luke warm .
• Now take 1 table spoon of curds/natural yogurt and mix it well and leave the milk for minimum 6 hours.
• Do not disturb the vessel till the Yogurt is set .
• It is important to start the curd/yogurt making, with the right kind of yogurt.
• So start with home made yogurt or get some natural yogurt from Indian Restaurant to start your home made yogurt.
• Always leave behind a little Yogurt so that you can set your next Milk to Yogurt.
• If proper yogurt is not used to set your curd the curd will not set properly.
• The outside temperature has to be correct for the yogurt to set.
• Normally for temperate climates like South India and Malaysia if you set your yogurt in the night before going to bed the yogurt will be ready the next morning.
• Once the yogurt is set keep it in the Fridge. Otherwise the yogurt will turn sour.
• If the yogurt has not set yet leave it for few more hours outside before keeping in the fridge

If you are using the Tetra Pack milk , like Dutch lady, (Full Cream, Low Fat, or Fresh milk)

this is what you should do.

• Heat Half litre milk in a glass vessel for 1 minute in a Micro wave oven.
• Just add the right kind of yogurt which I have mentioned , 1 table spoon and mix well.
• set aside for 6 plus hours

Yogurt will be ready.

You can make yogurt/ curds with milk powder also. You have to mix the Milk powder with water. Mix well. Heat it till it is Luke Warm. and Add curds. Set aside.

Roughly for 6 to 7 table spoons of Milk Powder, half litre of water will be fine.

During winter in countries like USA, it is very difficult for the Curds /Yogurt to set as it needs moderate temperature.

Even during other seasons if the air conditioner is being used round the clock the curds will not set.

For such climate this is what should be done.

You have to take Luke Warm Milk. (If you are buying those milk cans from the super market boil the milk and let it cool)

Add 1 table spoon of curds (the natural one). Mix well.

Heat the oven (not the micro wave oven), the one which comes with the cooking range, to minimum temperature and switch off the oven, and keep the milk which is set, inside the oven. Leave the light of the oven on. The curd/ Yogurt would set nicely after 6 hours.

I am told that Yogurt can be set during winter by keeping the vessel in which the milk is set nicely wrapped inside a woolen blanket. I have not tried this. But people who do not have oven can try this method.

Aval with Vengayam/Onion Poha

This is also called Aval uppuma.

Ingredients:

1. Aval Puffed Rice (Poha or Avalakki) 2 cups
2. Green Chillies 4
3. Ginger 1 small bit
4. Curry leaves few
5. Coriander leaves little
6. Nila Kadalai (peanuts) 2 to 3 table spoons.
7. Channa Dal 1 t spoon.
8. Mustard seeds 1/2 t spoon
9. oil 1 to 2 t spoons.
10. turmeric powder.
11. salt to taste.

Method:

Clean the 'aval' in water well and soak it for few minutes. and drain the water well. (if it is very thick aval soak for longer time)

Cut the onions, ginger, green chillies into very small bits.

Fry the 'kadalai' (peanuts) in dry kadai (thick bottomed vessel) . grind it into small bits. (do not make it into a smooth powder)

In the 'kadai' and put the oil and mustard seeds. let it splutter. Add the channa dal , when it turns brown, add curry leaves, green chillies, ginger and cut onions. Add turmeric powder and salt.

fry the onions till brown and add the soaked 'aval' . Mix it well. Add the 'kadalai'( peanut ) powder, Mix well. Garnish with Coriander leaves . Switch off the stove after 5 minutes.

Note: While adding Channa dal, some kadali( peanuts) can also be added for taste.

Puli Aval / Imli Poha

This is Puffed Rice (Aval in Tamil, Avalakki in Kannada, Poha in Hindi) dish done with Tamarind.

Ingredients:

1. Thick Aval (Poha) 2 cups
2. Mustard Seeds 2 t spoons
3. Red Chillies 3 to 4
4. Grated Coconut 2 to 3 table spoons.
5. Asafotida Powder little
6. Nila Kadalai (peanuts) 2 to 3 Table spoons
7. Tamarind one small bit (nellikkai alavu), if paste 1 t spoon.
8. Curry leaves Few
9. Salt to taste
10. jeera 1 t spoon
11. Oil 1 t spoon.
12. turmeric powder 1/2 t spoon

Method:

Grind the coconut, mustard seeds, red chillies into a paste.

Fry the Kadalai in a dry Kadai till it is little brown. just grind it into small pieces in a mixer. (Be careful not to make this into fine powder, it has to be bits)

Clean the Aval, in water ('kalayanum') . Drain the water well. Put the Tamarind in less than quarter cup of water and take the juice out. Add this to the wet 'aval' and add turmeric powder and salt and mix well. (if puli paste add this with little water and mix it with 'aval').

Keep aside for a few minutes.

Take the Kadai, put the jeera seeds in the oil, now add channa dal once it is brown add asafotida powder, curry leaves and put the 'aval' mixed in Tamarind. Add the coconut paste and also the kadalai powder and mix it well.

Keep it on the stove for few minutes and switch off.

'Puli Aval' is ready.

Cut mango pickle.

This is an instant pickle which can be used immediately after making it but can not be kept for long. It should be kept in Refrigerator and used within a week or so after making it.

Choose a Raw mango which is not soft and which is slightly sour.

Ingredients:

1. Raw mango one
2. Turmeric powder 1 t spoon
3. Chili powder 4 t spoons
4. Salt 2 table spoons
5. Asafotida powder little
6. Oil 1 t spoon
7. Mustard seeds 1 t spoon.

Method:

Cut the mango into small bits without removing the skin.

Add the salt, chili powder, turmeric powder and mix it well with the cut mangoes.

Take a 'kadai' or Iluppa chatti .

Add oil, put the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add the asafotida powder and pour the oil over the mangoes. mix well and the pickle is ready.

Lemon Pickle

This pickle is very easy to make.

It is made with elongated yellow lemon which used to be called as 'gal gal' by my mother.

Ingredients:

1. lemons 3
2. Green Chillies 4 or 5
3. Ginger 1 small piece
4. Red Chilli powder 4 t spoons
5. Oil 2 t spoons
6. Mustard seeds 1 t spoon
7. Turmeric powder 1 t spoon
8. Asafotida ( Perungayam) powder little
9. Salt 2 table spoons.

Method:

Boil the lemons in Water. Take a Big Vessel full of water and put the lemons in them and boil it for 10 minutes.

Remove the lemons from water and cut into small pieces removing the seeds from it. Now this is a tough job as the lemons will be very soft and the juice will be spilling while you cut the boiled lemons.

Take a 'Kadai' or Iluppachatti and add the oil.

Put the mustard seeds.

When it splutters, add the chilies and ginger which are to be cut into very small bits.

Add the cut lemons, salt, chilli powder and turmeric powder and the asafotida powder.

Stir it well. Add one or two table spoon of water and let the pickle boil well.

Switch off the stove.

The pickle is ready and this should be kept in the Refrigerator.

This is an instant pickle and can be used immediately after making it.

To enhance the taste, fenugrin (venthiyam or methi seeds) should be fried in a dry 'kadai' till light brown and powdered and added to the pickle.

Avial

' Avial' is a dish prepared with vegetables and can be eaten with cooked rice. Very easy to prepare.

Ingredients.

1. Raw Banana (Valaikkai) one
2. Ash gourd little portion (Pooshani kkai, )
3. Pumpkin (Parangikkai) little portion
4. Beans few
5. Carrot half
6. Squash (Bangalore Katharikkai) half
7. Potato one small
8. Drumstick (Murungai kkai) one
9. Cumin seeds (jeera) 1 table spoon
10. Green chillies 4 or 5
11. Grated Coconut 3 to 4 table spoons
12. Yogurt (Thayir) one cup.
13. Salt to taste.
14. Fresh coconut oil or ghee (optional)
15. Curry leaves (if available) few

Method:

Cut all the vegetables into square 1 inch pieces, murungai kaai into 3 inch length pieces.

Some other vegetables like egg plant (katharikkai), peas (pattani) and yam (senai kilangu) can also be added.

Be careful when you cut the Senai kilangu. just wash it and put it with other vegetables without touching it with hand as it might cause itching.

Normally Valakkai, pooshani and parangikkai are the main ingredients and you can add other vegetables depending on the availability.

Grind the coconut, jeera and green chillies into a paste. add the yogurt and keep aside.

Cook all the vegetables with very little water and salt. It can be pressure cooked but stove has to be switched off once the pressure is set in, so that the vegetables are not over cooked.

Add the paste with curd and bring the vegetable to a boil mixing it well.

Add a spoon full of coconut oil or ghee, the curry leaves cleaned and soaked in the oil. just switch off the stove and the 'Avial' is ready. Garnishing with mustard seeds is not done for this dish.

Use chillies according to your taste. I always add a little turmeric powder while cooking the Vegetables.  Hence My Avial looks a little yellow.  It is optional.
I add ghee when fresh coconut oil is not available.

Stuffed Egg Plant with Gravy

This is a very tasty dish eater with Chapathi.
You need very small brinjal/eggplant/baingan for this.

Ingredients:

1. Small eggplants 1/2 KG.
2. Channa Dhal 1 t spoon
3. Coriander seeds/dhaniya 1 t spoon
4. Sesame seeds/ellu/til 1 t spoon.(this is optional but adds to taste)
5. urad dal 1 t spoon
6. red chillies 4 or 5
7. jeera 1 t spoon
8. tamarind one small bit or paste 1/4 t spoon
9. jaggery/vellam a small bit (optional)
10. Grated coconut 2 table spoon.
11. Asafotida powder
12. oil 1 and 1/2 table spoons.
13. mustard seeds
14. turmeric powder/haldi little
15. salt to taste

Cut the crown of the eggplant and make a cross cut without cutting the whole vegetable so that you can stuff the paste into it. Keep it aside

Fry channa dhal, urad dhal, coriander seeds, red chillies, sesame seeds, jeera , asafotida in little oil. once the dals turn brown add the coconut and fry for some more time. Add the tamarind, Jaggery, and salt and then Grind this into a fine paste.
Stuff this into the eggplant.
Take a kadai. Add the remaining oil and add the mustard seeds. once it splutters add the stuffed eggplant and also turmeric powder. What ever paste is remaining add this into the kadai as this forms the gravy. Add little water and Cover the 'kadai' with a lid. Keep it in a low fire and keep turning it often. If it becomes dry add little more water. When the eggplants are cooked well remove from fire.


For a little variation,  Fry one medium size onion cut into small pieces and once it turns light  brown add one medium size tomato cut into small pieces.  Fry till tomatoes are soft and grind it along with the other masalas into paste and stuff this into the small egg plants and cook the  same way.

Bisi Bela Bath

This is a Karnataka (kannada) dish which is eaten as a dish which is a mixture of rice, and dal with vegetables.

Ingredients:

1. Rice 1 cup
2. Tur Dal 3/4 cup
3. Vegetables *
4. Tamarind if paste 1 and half table spoon, otherwise take a lemon sized ball of tamarind
5. salt to taste.
6. oil for garnishing and frying
7. Ghee about 2 to 4 t spoons.
8. ground nuts about 2 to 3 table spoons.
9. mustard seeds , channa dal for garnishing and curry leaves for garnishing.

* Vegetables to use are ash gourd (Vella pooshanikkai) a small bit, bangalore kattarikkai half or one (squash), Beans 50 gms , Capsicum 1/2 , Carrots medium sized one. peas 100 gms. tomatoes 2 medium sized.

The above vegetables which ever is available can be used, but potato and onion, okra (ladies finger) , egg plants are normally not used. If drumsticks are available they can also be used.

For the bisi bela bath Masala.

1. channa dal 1 and 1/2 t spoons
2. coriander seeds 2 t spoons
3. urad dal 1 t spoon
4. red dried chillies 8 or 9
5. 1 small bit of cinnamon stick
6. jeera 1 t spoon
7. black pepper few seeds.
8. asafotida a small bit or 1/2 t spoon powder
9. copra or dried coconut grated 3 to 4 table spoon
10. oil for frying the ingredients

Method:

Fry grated coconut till light brown in a 'kadai' or a thick bottomed pan. keep aside.

with half t spoon of oil fry all the ingredients mentioned till the urad dal, and channa dal becomes golden brown.

grind the masala including the fried coconut into a powder. now add one cut tomato and grind this into a paste and keep it aside.

soak the tur dal for an hour or so and then cook the dal in a pressure cooker. keep aside.

cook the rice in the pressure cooker. keep aside.

cut the vegetables into small square pieces.

In a kadai pour little oil and fry the ground nuts and soak the fried ground nuts in water .keep aside.

In the same kadai pour 1 t spoon of oil, put mustard seeds and once it splutters add the curry leaves and then add the cut capsicum. fry a little bit and add all the other vegetables and fry for few minutes. Remove from kadai. (for taste one green chilli can also be fried along with capsicum)

Put the fried vegetables in the pressure cooker and add the tamarind paste mixed with 1/2 cup of water. (if tamarind is used take out the juice from the tamarind. For this it has to be soaked in hot water before you start the cooking process.)

add salt.

add the soaked ground nuts and cut and add one tomato.

pressure cook this.

Mixing:

Take a thick bottomed big vessel keep on the stove, add the cooked rice, cooked dal, the boiled vegetables, the ground masala paste and mix it well. In another kadai take 2 table spoons of oil and add mustard seeds, once it splutters, add 1 or 2 t spoons of channa dal and once brown pour this over the mixed rice . add the ghee also and mix well. once the whole rice is thoroughly mixed with vegetables and dal switch off the stove and serve hot.