Home-Made Indian Yogurt/Curd (Dahi)

How to make Indian-style yogurt (dahi) at home.

Indian cuisine varies a lot, but there are a few ingredients that are integral to our food, and one such item would be Dahi (Indian yogurt) - also referred quite commonly as curd all over India.  Whether served along with aloo paranthas (Indian bread stuffed with spiced potato) or used to make thair saadam (curd rice), dahi is a staple in most Indian households.  This is easily available in stores, but making home-made dahi is healthier and also has the ideal tangy taste (when allowed to ferment for longer time) that is essential for a lot of dishes.  Fortunately, making dahi is definitely no rocket science - it's easy enough for me to do at home every day!  Here's an easy guide to making Indian-style yogurt at home:

Beans-Carrot Thoran (Kerala-style beans and carrot stir-fry)

Another traditional, vegetarian dish from Kerala, thoran is a simple stir-fry, generally made with quick-cooking vegetables like cabbage, carrots, beans (or a mix of all these), or even spinach leaves and finished with some fresh grated coconut.  The recipe is very simple, and at least in my house, there aren't any dry spice powders or ginger/garlic used in the dish.

Beans-Carrot Thoran

The recipe I have today is a beans-carrot thoran, made with tender, fresh organic French beans that I spotted at our local Whole Foods.  I have also added about 2-3 tablespoons of grated carrot in there, just to add a little burst of color (but forgot to add that in the ingredients list below).  This dish relies quite heavily on the flavors of the vegetables itself, so whatever you wish to make the thoran out of, make sure it's fresh and in season.   Anywho, here's what you will need to make this thoran.

Muringayila Mulakushyam (Drumstick Leaves and Lentil Curry)

Mulakushyam is a very common dish in Kerala, and generally, it's made by cooking vegetables such pumpkin or spinach in a lentil and coconut based sauce.  Traditionally, this is made using fresh coconut ground with some whole spices, but I have modified the recipe and use spice powders and canned coconut milk.

Muringayila (drumstick leaves) aren't that commonly available - definitely need to look for them in Indian stores, and even then, it's not the easiest ingredient to find - and removing the leaves from their stalks is quite a boring work.  Despite all that, this is one of the healthy greens that is actually quite tasty, and I pick it up whenever I find it in store.