Sunday, May 4, 2008

Home-made Yogurt with Mango


Mango season is here once again. These are from Ben's garden, probably the last because they moved and sold the house along with the mango tree (that got to be one of the hardest thing to part with). As these mangoes are super sweet, I love to eat it with yogurt. 

For this yogurt I used a low-fat milk powder but you can use any fresh, UHT or even soy milk (I've never tried it, a friend did and it worked fine but with a soy milk taste of course). The yogourtmet is used as a starter for the yogurt. If unavailable, substitute with a tablespoon of any unadulterated fresh yogurt. 
If possible, get it from an Indian restaurant that serves yogurt, as most of those sold in supermarkets are processed with sugar, preservatives and thickening agents.

Prepare the milk powder as per instruction on the package. 
Here I used 3 cups of water with 1 cup milk powder. 
With milk powder, the thicker (more fat content) the milk solution the thicker consistency yogurt will turn out. 
The milk should be warm and not hot to the touch (about the same temp as the milk for feeding babies).
Stir in the starter.
Pour into sterilized glass containers. 
Keep them covered but not airtight.
Place them on a baking tray with about 1/2 inch of water.
Preheat oven to slightly below 50C. 
Switch off the oven and put the tray in.
Leave for 3-6 hours. 
By 3 hours the milk should be firming up and set like custard. 
The longer it is left in the oven the more acidic (sour) it gets.
So, if you don't like the yogurt too sour put it into the fridge as soon as it set.
If the milk do not set by 6 hours it means the bacteria (culture) in the starter is dead and no yogurt is produced. Get another new batch of starter and start all over again. 
Keep a tablespoon of the newly formed yogurt aside in a small clean container in the fridge as starter for the next round of yogurt making (it should be used within a month). I was told some Indian restaurants have yogurt starter that originated more than 40 years ago! 

Great for cooking curry dishes (lighter than coconut milk and love the tangy taste it gives to the dish), as salad dressing and cooling drinks (just mix 2-3 tablespoon of yogurt + a teaspoon of honey + 1/2 a glass of drinking water with a handful of ice-cubes... so refreshing).
For breakfast or dessert, serve it with any fresh or dried fruits, add some nuts or muesli for crunch and honey for sweetness. Prefect for these hot and humid weather we are experiencing now.

Jo

12 comments:

Moodie Foodie said...

While I dont eat yoghurt, that looks really good for breakfast, especially the mango bit...hahaha

wmw said...

Definitely can't call yourself lazy, if lazy, there definitely won't be anything home made! Hehehe...Looks yummy!

DonDon said...

YUM YUM!!

a feast, everyday said...

moodie, did i spell yogurt (yoghurt, as u wrote) incorrectly? *blush*.
yeah, the mango was so so good.

wmw, am truly lazy, lazy, lazy and once in a blue moon get this crazy mood and go into high gear...

don, u'll go for the mango only, right?

Moodie Foodie said...

Hehehe Jo...i normally spell it "yoghurt". But i looked it up on a dictionary and apparently, it can also be spelt "yogurt" or "yoghourt". Weird huh?

Mangoes so expensive here - $3.28 for one (Mexican type). ;(

BTW, i've having a bit of a sore throat right now. Tried having the chrysantemum tea u thought me today, and two pots of instant lo han kuo drink and having gone through 1-1/2 pack of lozenges...i feel so drained now. (Not sure if those lozenges also contirbuted to my cramps....made me skip dinner tonight) :'(

a feast, everyday said...

moodie, i checked too and so glad we are both correct...must b d english and d american - they can never agree on anything!

so expensive! and here we get them for free...

poor thing, do u have any NZ active Manuka honey? try taking 1/2 a teaspoon in the mouth, let in dissolve slowly into the throat. do it every hour. it worked wonders for me.

I find the lozenges caused a lot of mucus

with ur weather turning cold, maybe it is not a good idea to consume so much cooling drink.
now, don't i sound like ur mother??

Big Boys Oven said...

hahahaha this awesome and look so deliciously good, better than myself!

a feast, everyday said...

bbo, tq. ur baking is sensational and inspires me to want to bake cakes too which i don't do tt often.

Moodie Foodie said...

Hahaha Jo...it sounds funny when u say it now. But the truth is, u don't sound like my mum coz my mum would not say that..instead she will say something like "u see la...ur not eating healthy blah blah, that's why u are sick blah blah"

Active manuka honey...my mum always gets me to buy them for her. I never really saw the point of it myself. Think it's a waste of $20+ for a small bottle of honey...hahaha

Just had a couple spoons of some 'African Sea Coconut' concoction before. Feels better now actually....i guess i'm just conventional...

a feast, everyday said...

conventional.. what?
A$20+ is a steal. It cost me RM120 here in kk! tt's d reason i used only 1/2 teaspoon a dose cos it's like liquid gold!

Anonymous said...

I confess I am not a big yoghurt fan but the mango looks great.

Iris and I occasionally buy a small pack of the supermarket yoghurt but thats for her to add it into the dog food when our old dog 'Chester' is feeling poorly.

:D

a feast, everyday said...

ok, guess it is an acquired taste, either u love it or hate it, much like durian.