Cooking

Art & Science of Making Curd

 By Samit Punamia - Blogger2109  Apr 18, 2022

Many people (including me till some time ago) struggle to make curd at home because of many reasons.. sometimes the curd doesn’t set or sometimes it doesn’t taste like store bought curd. We all would have learnt the chemical reactions of making milk into curd in our childhood. So I would like you all to remember that process and when you understand the science behind it, you’ll know the mistake you are doing. Well see, To turn milk into curd, the good bacteria ferment the milk, turning the lactose sugars in the milk into lactic acid. The lactic acid is what causes the milk, as it ferments, to thicken and taste tart. Because the bacteria have partially broken down the milk already, it is thought to make yogurt easier for us to digest. We all know that bacteria multiplies in warm temperature so that’s what the trick is. Temperature! Follow these steps and I assure you you’ll get thick and creamy curd. Ingredients Full fat milk - 500ml Curd culture-1 tbsp ( room temperature) Take a heavy bottom pan and pour 1 tbsp water into it. This will avoid burning/ sticking of milk at the bottom of the pan. Boil milk on medium flame. Don’t compromise on milk, full fat milk will give you the best result. Keep stirring the milk at regular intervals.this helps in uniform thickening of the milk. once boiled keep the flame on low and let the milk boil for 10-15 mins. Now since the milk is boiled. The most important step is to cool it down to 100-150 degrees. The trick to understand this is that when you touch the milk with your finger tips, it should feel warm and not hot. If you let it cool more then the curd will be runny and thin. As the milk is cooling make sure that you stir the milk so that the cream of milk is mixed evenly. Pour the milk in the pot in which you want to set the curd. Take the curd culture which is in room temperature in a separate bowl and take 1 tsp curd culture and gently pour it carefully at one corner of the pot. Similarly take 1 more tsp curd and pour it in the other side of the milk carefully.Try to pour the curd on all sides of the pot and little at the centre of the pot. Don’t mix or stir the milk. Cover the pot and place it in a closed cupboard for around 6-7 hours. Some people also keep in a container of rice or atta but if you keep the temperature of the milk in mind your curd will be very thick and creamy. After 6 hours keep the curd in refrigerator for around 2 hours before consumption. Enjoy your creamy and thick curd.