Make dahi (curd), a creamy, luscious Indian yogurt the traditional way in the comfort of your own home with only two ingredients - whole milk and a yogurt starter!! The recipe and technique was passed down by my great-great grandmother. Use dahi to make dishes like Mango Lassi or serve it as a side along with dal and roti.
Heat a heavy bottom pot on medium heat. Pour in the milk and bring to a boil while stirring in intervals and scraping the sides to avoid burnt milk. You're looking for a lot of air bubbles.
When the milk reaches it's boiling point, remove the pot from heat and cool to about 135°F, or when you can comfortably touch the warm milk.
Once the milk is at 125 - 135°F, slowly pour the milk from the heavy bottom pot into a medium sized bowl. Start as close to the medium sized bowl as possible, and slowly pour in the milk as you raise the heavy bottom pot higher and higher while continuously pouring the milk. This is the first pull.
Repeat. Pour the milk from the medium sized bowl back into the heavy bottom pot, starting as low as possible and continuously pouring the milk while raising the bowl higher and higher.
In the empty bowl, add a tablespoon of yogurt starter and mix it until smooth and coating the bottom.
For a third time, pour the milk from the heavy bottom pot back into the bowl in the same fashion, starting from low and moving higher and higher. This should create a ton of air bubbles.
Stir the milk to fully combine the yogurt starter with the milk.
Cover the bowl with a plate. Wrap the bowl with the plate on it with a towel and store at room temperature (~73°F) or in a warm place like the oven for up to six hours undisturbed.
After the sixth hour, carefully unwrap the towel and uncover the lid. Check for a thick, jiggly consistency by gently shaking the container to see if the dahi has set.
Once the dahi has set, transfer the bowl to the fridge and chill for a minimum of an hour before serving.
Video
Notes
Yogurt starter refers to a scoop of dahi from a previous batch or from someone else's dahi. A scoop of plain, full-fat Greek yogurt also works but may result in slightly slimy dahi.
Store the dahi in the fridge for up to 5-7 days with a lid.
Save a tablespoon of the dahi as a starter for the next batch.