Learn to make yoghurt | dahi

Deliciously creamy homemade yoghurt - one of my oldest fermented food products out there! Making yoghurt is a little bit like a chicken and egg situation - you need yoghurt to make yoghurt - but once you’ve got into making it you won’t look back. It’s so easy to do and you’ll not be using excess plastic or wasting anything. Yoghurt is something that is made in India all the time - Yogesh’s mum makes it every day! I can’t say I’m quite that committed! 

To kick start my yoghurt making process, I used a packet of freeze dried yoghurt starter (see picture below). This is just a powder form of all the good bacteria and soon-to-be live cultures which turn the milk into creamy yoghurt. You can also use plain yoghurt from the supermarket - but just make sure it’s the one with live cultures.

When it comes to making your second batch of yoghurt, you just need to save a few tbsp of yoghurt from your first batch. Then you mix that saved yoghurt (which has all the good cultured bacteria) with warm milk and leave it to incubate at a warm temperature until set. Just keep repeating this process - so for your third batch - used some saved yoghurt from your second batch and so on and so on! 

Ingredients 
1 litre full fat milk will give the best results!
100ml yoghurt (with live cultures) or 1 sachet freeze dried yoghurt bacteria 

Method 

• In a saucepan, heat up the milk to a gentle boil, stirring frequently. I use a Indian patila/tope which I can also use for incubating (this means I don't get multiple utensils dirty). 
  
  
• When hot, turn of the heat and let the milk cool down until warm (the ideal temperature for incubating yoghurt is around 40 degrees). This is vital - if you add your yoghurt or freeze dried yoghurt bacteria to hot milk you will kill them. Initially, I used a thermometer to ensure the correct temperature, but after doing it a couple of times, I now have a feel for it and don't need it. 
  
  
  
• When the yoghurt is warm, stir in the yoghurt or freeze dried yoghurt starter. 
  
  
  
• Now you need to incubate the yoghurt. If you live in a warm climate - then you can just leave it on your counter (like in India). However, I cannot do that here in the Netherlands and I don't have a yoghurt maker (I think its a bit of an unnecessary purchase..). If you live in a cool climate you can do the following: 
  
  
  
1. Leave the yoghurt in the oven. You can heat the oven to around 50 degrees, then turn it off and leave the light on. Place the yoghurt in the oven for 6 hours or so until set. 
   
   
   
2. If you have a slow cooker: turn on the slow cooker to the "warm" setting and place a little water in the bottom. Let the slow cooker warm up. When the water is warm, turn off the slow cooker and place the yoghurt container in the slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker with a towels and leave overnight. This is the method I prefer - I don't have to burn a lot of electricity by leaving the oven on, and it means I can just start the yoghurt in the evening, put it to bed and then in the morning I have delicious yoghurt waiting for me! 
   
   
   
• When the yoghurt has set, transfer to the fridge to chill! Always remember to save around 100ml of yoghurt from this batch for your next one.