One thing I am constantly being reminded of is the importance of buying things in bulk. We tend to use the same ingredients in most of our meals through out the week. A few of those items are rice, beans, yogurt, ginger garlic paste, and onions. All of our meals contain at least one of those things. It's easy to get lazy and run up to the store and get a small thing when I run out, but it's SO MUCH more expensive that way because I end up going back all the time for more! So, I've decided to get better and stock my pantry and fridge at the beginning of the month. This month I'm making a huge jar of homemade yogurt. I've never tried making it before, but I tried my first homemade yogurt at Joel's aunt's house last year. Wow. It's so much better! I let myself think I'd have to buy expensive equipment or spend hours in the kitchen to make something that might turn out. It's so much easier than I thought and the effort in making this simple dish is completely worth it!
Do you like smoothies? Granola and yogurt? Indian food? Healthy ranch dip? If so than this recipe is for you!
Homemade Greek YogurtIngredients:4 cups of whole milk (you can use whichever kind you have around the house, but 2% or whole works best)1/3 cup of plain yogurt with live culture
Directions:Pour your milk into a large saucepan and heat on medium high heat. Be sure to stir the milk while it's cooking so it doesn't boil over. Once your milk reaches about 180 degrees or starts bubbling on the side, turn off the stovetop. Allow the milk mixture to cool down until the pot is ok to touch. It will still be warm. Take a cup of the mixture and mix it in a separate bowl with your yogurt. Once the yogurt is thinned, add it back to the milk mixture.Put the lid on and let the mixture sit in a warm place for 6 hours or overnight. I let mine sit in my oven after I turned on the warm setting for 4 minutes and turned it off. It's ready when you tilt the pot and it separates from the side as a solid mass. If you want regular yogurt it's done and ready to enjoy. We decided to follow one more step to make it greek yogurt.Put a strainer in a larger pot. Place a cheesecloth in the strainer. Pour your yogurt mixture over the cheesecloth and let it sit for 1-3 hours. The longer you let it sit, the thicker it will be. When it has reached the desired thickness, pull up the cheesecloth and transfer your yogurt into the container you wish to store it in. The liquid at the bottom of the pan is called whey. You can use this in all sorts of dishes, especially smoothies!Make sure you use a sealed container to store it in the fridge. It lasts about a month in the fridge.Our favorite way to use yogurt is in
chicken curry and
chicken tikka masala.
What's your favorite way to use yogurt?
