We're back. India trip, shorter days and lazying around have kept us away from the blog a little too much. But we're back. And we have missed this!
It's said that you are what you eat. Big words. What to put on a plate is a huge question and not one with a simple answer. One way to start thinking about this is what motivates us - what are we trying to achieve. We both have been pondering about the current state of the planet and what we can do to be better global citizens. The more we understand, the clearer it gets that the small things like what we cook daily can affect the state of our world. Driven by documentaries like Cowspiracy, which motivated us to learn more, we decided ours should be, largely, a plant based, whole food diet.
Here is the disclaimer - We do not like labels. Labels are best suited for the more scientific world but for our homes, maybe not. Labels restrict. Labels give you rules which seem like a fun idea to break. Labels make you feel bad when not kept. So, let's not stick a label on this.
With this in mind, we set out to grocery shop. So. Many. Options. Fresh veges, juices, milks, flours! Yay! Then came my quandary. Yogurt. I love yogurt. I eat yogurt with every single thing. I make dairy based yogurt at home often. So I started scouting and it turned out that I could make/buy non-dairy yogurt. And because we love experiments, we decided to make it at home.
I have started making Soya Yogurt on a regular basis. I am the type of person who doesn't mind a little change in taste or texture. But this was yogurt! This had to taste and feel like what I have always loved. I was surprised that Soya yogurt tastes just like dairy yogurt. It's thick, rich and creamy.
The base is simple and more or less what you'd do to make any yogurt.
Milk + Bacteria = Yogurt
It helps to warm the milk a little bit before adding the bacteria as bacteria thrives in a warmer climate. The bacteria in question here is Lactobacillus, a bacteria easily available in any store bought yogurt or pro-biotic capsule. While the latter is an option, I found it easier to buy the first tub of yogurt and if you play the cards right, you'd never have to buy yogurt again.
These are the quantities I used. But these numbers are very flexible!
- 1 quart (946ml) Soya Milk
- 2 tablespoons of soya yogurt or dairy yogurt.
Steps:
- Warm the milk on the stove. The moment you see steam coming out, take the milk off the heat. You do not want to boil the milk.
- Pour the milk into a clean glass jar (or any appropriate container). I prefer glass as its easy to clean and the fact that I can see through it helps for any fermentation.
- Mix the 2 tablespoons of yogurt into the milk and cover the container.
- Store in a warm place (I prefer to keep it near the stove).
- The yogurt should be done in 12-24 hours. If you stay in a colder climate, give it another 12 hours if needed.
Your delicious, creamy yogurt is now ready! Use it for everything you'd use dairy yogurt for. And if you need more ideas - hang in there for my secret Chana Masala recipe coming up soon!