Homemade yogurt - simple & healthy

For many, making yogurt is second nature. I grew up eating homemade yogurt like so many in South Asian homes around the world. But, since leaving home for college, I resorted to store-bought yogurt. I knew that making yogurt was fairly easy, but it seemed easier to just buy it - especially since I didn't use it much.

As I started cooking more in recent years, yogurt became a staple in my kitchen. It is packed with probiotics, which are important in keeping our gut healthy, and is so versatile!! We use it in curries, marination, raita (recipe below), homemade dips, desserts, and so much more.

So I decided to give this simple task a try in hopes of not relaying on store-bought yogurt and controlling quality. It is also very cost effective.

Yogurt prep is an easy, 5-minute task.

Recipe:

1. Heat 4 cups of milk on medium flame until it starts boiling. Stir the milk in order to keep it from sticking to the pot. Turn off the heat once the milk starts to boils.

Tip: Whole or 2% milk will create thick and creamy yogurt but skim milk should work as well.

2. Let the milk sit for about 5-10 minutes so that it's not boiling but don't let it cool. Yogurt bacteria requires warm temperature to culture the milk.

3. Meanwhile, mix 2 tablespoons of yogurt with 1-2 tablespoons of warm milk from Step 1 to create a liquid mixture.

Tip: Save some of your favorite yogurt to use as culture. If it's store bought, the ingredients should say "Contains Live Active Culture".

4. Combine the warm milk (Step 1) and yogurt culture (Step 3) into a bowl. A glass, steel, or clay bowl should work well. Cover it with lid or saran wrap and place the bowl in a warm and insulated place such as an oven.

Tip: I usually preheat the toaster oven to 200F before placing the bowl in the oven. Turn off the oven heat after you place the yogurt in it to set.

Make sure the yogurt culture is added to warm milk and that the mixture is placed in a warm place to set.

5. You should see the liquid thicken in about 4-5 hours. Next, transfer it to the refrigerator and your yogurt IS READY to eat.

For greek yogurt, simply culture the milk with greek yogurt. Use a cheese cloth to strain excess water after the yogurt is set to get the creamy consistency.

You can top off so many dishes with raita, yogurt with vegetables and spices of your choice. This is a yummy way of incorporating probiotics and veggies to your meal. I love adding raita to lentil soups and wraps.

Yogurt mixed with cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red bell peppers, green chilies, cilantro, crushed black pepper, onions, pinch of salt, and few drops of lime.