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A typical Indian meal comprises of a sabzi, roti and often rice. And while these keep changing, there’s one thing that is almost never missing, at least from my meal and that is a bowl of curd. And let’s just agree that an Indian meal tastes even better with a side of fresh curd. Cool, refreshing curd seems to balance our spicy sabzis and makes our meals a wholesome one. And it’s not just a bowl of plain curd that we love so much, we relish it in other forms too. Be it in lassi, raitas or kadhi, curd plays a vital role in our cuisine. Though one can get a pack of curd from the market nowadays, there’s nothing quite like homemade curd. My mother regularly sets the curd at home since everyone in the family finds it much lighter and flavourful than the store-bought ones, which seems to be unnaturally thick at times. While setting curd at home isn’t a tough task, many of us might feel that it isn’t perfectly set.
If you too have faced those issues of not-so-perfect homemade curd, we have found some very useful tips to set curd faster and with complete success, no matter which season it is.
1. The Milk
For a creamy and dense curd, a whole fat milk is considered better. It is also suggested that you always use warm milk but not too hot, to make the curd.
2. Mix Well
Make sure to mix the curd culture well with warm milk. You can blend it thoroughly with a spoon. If you blend curd culture and milk with a hand whisker, it will turn milk frothy. Frothy milk is also a great way to ensure the curd set faster. One way to mix it thoroughly is to shuffle it between two bowls 5-6 times.
3. Earthen Pot
This is what my mother swears by. The most desi way, and perhaps one of the most effective one. If you have an earthen pot at home, make sure to set the curd in it. The mud-based container helps in fastening the fermentation process.
4. Green Chilli
Surprised? Well, this is another desi nuskha that my mother revealed to me. Putting a green chilli with its stem helps curd set faster. And there indeed science behind it. Certain bacteria in green chillies push the milk to produce protein curdles and turn them into curd. (rephrase maybe)
