Wednesday, June 6, 2018

How to make thick Curd/Yogurt/Dahi in a clay pot?

How to make thick Curd/Yogurt/Dahi in a clay pot?
How to make thick Curd/Yogurt/Dahi in a clay pot?


Curd/Yogurt is one of the essentials in all the Indian households. 

It is a natural probiotic that helps to stimulate enzymes as well as the processes to keep our digestive process intact. The versatility of curd is appreciated in Indian cooking and hence, it has been used in both sweet as well as salt recipes. Be it a boondhi raita or a sweet lassi, you are sure to relish it. Isn't it?

 I always prefer to use our traditional cookwares like mud pot, Stone vessel (Maa Kal Chatti) and Iron utensils to cook most of my dishes. Even, for storing water I am using a small mud jug which gives us cool water with no harm done to our throat. More health benefits of storing water in a Matka/clay pot and cleaning process can be read in my detailed post Interesting facts and Amazing health benefits of Storing water in mud pot

Why do we use a clay pot to make curd?

Though Clay/Mud pot may be optional to use for curd setting, you need to note that it is one of the ancient cookwares that is completely harmless to our health. Unlike other modern cookware, which is sure to leave some toxins in the food, mud pots are made of eco-friendly and 100 percent toxin-free materials. Go for an unglazed mud pot and enjoy its full benefits.


Try Madka curd/Clay pot curd once and see how thick and creamy curd can be made so easily at home.

How to clean a curd pot?

Since this is a clay pot, you might think that there will be a big curing process to be followed before using it. No worries, you are not doing any curing process at all. 

 If this question is what popping in your mind "Why does it require no curing at all?" then here comes the answer

Generally, the curing process is done to avoid getting crack in mud vessels when we cook it on a direct flame. Unlike the ones that we use on a stove top to cook the food, this pot is used only for making the curd and is not going to sit on a hot stove. So it saves your curing time but it still requires cleaning process to be followed.

Once you buy a new clay pot for Dahi, wash it in plain water for 2-3 times. In fact, you can soak this pot for half an hour in clean water and use a soft sponge to wipe off any mud. Then, leave it to sundry. Once it is dried thoroughly, you can start using it.

"Strictly say no to detergent"

When you wash the clay pot after all your curd is finished, never use detergent to wash it and use only plain water. If there are stubborn stains, sprinkle some salt and use a brush to scrub them off. Once done, leave it to dry in sun.

If you are buying your set of clay/mud cookwares for cooking, then you need to do the curing process which I have already posted a detailed procedure that explains all the steps involved clearly to help the newbies.

How to make thick Curd/Yogurt/Dahi in a clay pot?
Curd pot



Ingredients:
  • 1/2 liter Milk
  • 1 tablespoon curd
  • Curd Pot
Method:

1) Boil milk in a pan and leave it to reach the lukewarm stage.

2) Take the cleaned Clay pot and pour the milk into it.

3)  Add 1 tablespoon of curd and churn well with a whipper. The amount of curd being added to milk varies according to the climate of your place. It needs more starter if you are in cool place and less for a warm place.

4) Close the lid and place it in a warm place till the curd is set.


How to make thick Curd/Yogurt/Dahi in a clay pot?




Notes:

1) Once you add the curd and set the milk aside, do not disturb the pot as this might hinder the curd setting process.

2) The time taken for this Curd setting process varies as per the temperature of your place. If you are in located in a warm place it might get set faster than it the time it usually takes in a cooler place. Here in Bangalore, it takes more time so I keep this pot in a place where I get sunlight to speed up the setting process. 

3) You can refrigerate the curd with clay pot once it is ready. If you let it stay outside for a longer time then the curd might turn sour in taste.



How to make thick Curd/Yogurt/Dahi in a clay pot?



24 comments :

  1. Hello Harini: I was especially taken up with your advocating a mud pot to prepare yoghurt. Searching your website, I could not find out where you live. I live in Southern California. So my question is: where in California or the USA can I buy a mud pot? I would like to buy both the cured (to cook) and the uncured versions. Thanks, Dido.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for visiting my food blog. I am not sure about the store that sells mud pot but you can try online. When I tried searching for "curd clay pot online" in google, it poped up with so many websites selling earthen ware and one such is Amazon too. I hope this information helps you. Also, there will be no cured version sold as it is the process that you need to do at home.

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    2. You can buy at lot of indian grocery stores around you. I live closer to Santa Clara and "india cash and carry" store does have these clay pots.

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  2. Hi,
    Thanks for such an awesome info. I tried setting the Curd in a Mud pot, but I feel that after the Curd has set, it still has water content in it and is not as thick and creamy as expected. Infact I feel it's more or less similar to the one I was always making in a steel vessel. I use the blue Nandhini Milk for the same. Please advise

    Many thanks
    Kriti

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  3. Hi,
    Thanks for such an awesome recipe. I tried this but the Curd was almost as watery as it is when I set in a steel vessel. I use Nandhini blue Milk for the same.
    When the Curd is set, I take it out of the microwave. But I found that it's not very thick and creamy.
    Please advise
    Thanks
    Kriti

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Harini,
    I stay in Bangalore and since I didn't find a Mud pot for a long time, my sis in law gifted me one. It looks similar to the one in your blog. However when I made Curd in it(using blue Nandhini Milk) it wasn't as thick and creamy as expected. Infact I felt it was almost the same texture and consistency as before when made in steel vessels. I don't notice water oozed out if the pot at all. It doesn't look to be a glazed one though.

    I put the milk and the starter in the pot and keep it inside the microwave undisturbed until it sets. When I take it out, it's like the usual loose Curd with quite some amount of water in it.

    Where could I be wrong? Please advise.

    Many thanks
    Kriti

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kriti, thanks for visiting my blog. Sometimes the water might not come out still its fine. Try using Nandhini green milk and gives thick curd.

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  5. Hi am priya from chennai.. I kept curd in mud potbpot while cleaning...I feel very difficult...can you give sum tip to clean the pot .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sprinkle few salt use a brush to clean it. You might feel easy to clean by this method.

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  6. Hi, I am YASHODA from Bangalore I recently bought curd pot but unknowingly I seasoned it now what should I do to remove oil smell please reply

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  7. Positive site, where did u come up with the information on this posting?I have read a few of the articles on your website now, and I really like your style. Thanks a million and please keep up the effective work. soil thermal conductivity testing

    ReplyDelete
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  9. Hi I am Mithila from Bangalore. Would like to know how many times can I reuse the clay pot?

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  10. You can use the claypot till it breaks :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Harini, I tried to set curd in claypot twice but it did not set. Does the temperature of milk need to be more towards hot as claypot are generally cooler in nature?
    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Temperature of the milk needs no alteration. Kindly check whether you are following the setting process correctly. Sometimes if the curd that you are adding to the milk is not mixing well then it might not set well. Try using a whipper and whip it nicely.

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  12. Hi.. I made curd in the clay pot and after setting the outside of clay pot has some white deposits. Any idea why? Before using I soaked the clay pot in water for 2 days and washed it well and sun dried it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No need to worry about outside white deposits, sometimes the milk solids does come out like that. As far as you are using a good quality earthern pot and washed it well before using, then it is good to go.

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  13. Hi Harini!
    Very useful post. Till now I have been setting curd in glass Pyrex container, after setting I keep in fridge and use as and when required. It stays good for 2-3 days without turning sour. Now I want to start using clay pot for setting curd so my question is how long the curd can be stored in the fridge since it doesn’t get used up in one go at my home.

    ReplyDelete