Aparita

The Globe and Mail - [07/07/2001]

 

No Indian kitchen would be complete without homemade yogurt. Its refreshing taste puts out the fires of spicy food, aids digestion and, best of all, borrowing a few scoops of starter is a great way to make new friends

 

Almost no one buys yogurt in India. The stainless steel container that stood on the narrow counter of my grandmother’s tiny kitchen was a permanent fixture. In winter, it would sit there for the entire day; in summer, it would be taken out of the refrigerator a few hours before lunch or dinner. No meal would be complete without yogurt.

It’s a tradition my family brought from India when we came to Canada three years ago. Twice everyday, once in the morning and once in the evening, my mother boils some milk, allows it to cool to a warm temperature, adds about a spoonful of yogurt, gives it a quick stir, covers it and leaves it to set in a warm place. In the summer, it takes only a few hours. In winter, she resorts to some tricks. The bowl of milk wrapped in a layer of towels appears in different places in the house wherever there is enough warmth — the corner in the kitchen adjacent to the large sunny windows, in the warm oven after I bake brownies, or the basement near the boiler.

The taste of homemade yogurt is definitely better — it has none of the “cultured” taste or the tartness of processed, store-bought yogurt. And the consistency is softer, less gelatinous than commercial brands.

According to one legend, yogurt originated when the goat was first domesticated in Mesopotamia about 5000 BC. Warm goat milk, stored in gourds in the warm climate, naturally soured and formed a curd. Then some very brave person decided to taste it and the rest is history. In India, Ayurvedic writings (from the Hindu science of health and well-being), that date back to more than 5000 years ago, mention the use of yogurt as a curative food.

The substance has long been credited with restorative properties, from contributing to longevity — Kashmiri herdsman were reputed to live into their hundreds thanks to yogurt — to aiding digestion. And indeed, the lactic-acid cultures in yogurt produce substances that actually prevent disease-causing bacteria from multiplying in the digestive tract.

However, yogurt must be eaten regularly to be effective. A steady diet of yogurt means that the yogurt bacteria are present in the intestines where they can benefit the host. Stop eating yogurt and very soon they are eliminated.

Yogurt also helps digest lactose, which means that people with lactose intolerance can eat it. In fact, it’s easier for everyone to digest than other dairy products are, allowing us to benefit from a food that is rich in calcium, phosphorus and vitamin B.

And one reason yogurt is such an integral part of Indian cuisine is its cooling properties. Casein, the main protein in yogurt, binds to the taste buds and literally wipes away the fiery component of hot peppers known as capsaicin. I remember my grandmother standing at the range making chapattis (Indian bread). Nani would plunk hot puffed chapatti onto our plates; we would squeeze between her and the small tabletop and ladle out piping-hot vegetables and dal. Finally, we would scoop out several spoons of fresh yogurt from the stainless steel container, the white mounds were a cool contrast to the spicy vegetables.

Yogurt is also used in Indian cooking as a marinade for meats. The mildly acidic nature of yogurt helps to break down the tissue and adds a pleasing tartness to curries and other dishes. It is also eaten plain after a spicy meal to soothe the stomach and help digest food. And then, of course, there’s lassi — a refreshing cold drink made from yogurt — a summer favourite in India.

My father’s friend Captain Ramu used to reminisce about the best lassi he had ever tasted when he was a student in the Punjab. He described how the local sweetshop vendor would pour thick buffalo milk along with almonds, cashews and pistachios into a large earthen-ware pot every evening and leave it to set overnight. The next day when you lifted the cover off of the pot, the yogurt would be so thick that you could bounce a 50-paise coin — roughly the same size as a quarter — off it. From that yogurt, the vendor would make tall glasses of lassi, and Capt. Ramu and his friends would compete to see who could down their glass in one glorious breath.

But for many Indians, yogurt is more than just an important food. Borrowing a couple of spoonfuls of starter is still the best way to get acquainted with the new neighbours or catch up on the latest gossip — the subcontinental equivalent to a cup of sugar.

Aparita Bhandari is a Toronto writer.

Cool comfort

HOMEMADE YOGURT
The easiest and least expensive way of obtaining a starter culture is to purchase plain yogurt at a grocery store. But you should use yogurt that is unpasteurized or it will not contain a live culture. Failing that, borrow some starter from a yogurt-making friend.

1 quart 2-per-cent milk
{ cup non-fat dry milk powder
1/4 cup starter culture

Mix the liquid and dry milk. Bring to a boil and cool immediately to approximately 110 F. Discard any skin that may have formed on the milk. Add warmed starter culture and mix well but gently. Take care not to incorporate too much air.

Pour mixture into a clean container and cover and let set for three to six hours in a warm place.
Yogurt containers can be kept warm in a gas oven with pilot light, or an electric oven with 110-watt light bulb. Wide-mouth thermos bottles, heating pads and sunny windows will also work.

Remember to set aside a small amount of the yogurt to use as a starter for your next batch.

 

CUCUMBER SALAD

3 English cucumbers, sliced thinly
11/2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Mix together the cucumbers, yogurt, mint, cumin and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

LASSI

The amount of sugar and liquid in this recipe can be varied to suit your taste. Rose essence is available in Indian food stores.

2 cups yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
4 teaspoons sugar
Few drops of rose essence

Put all the ingredient in a blender and beat until frothy. Pour into tall glasses and serve over crushed ice.
– For a savoury version, replace the sugar and rose essence with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground roasted cumin seeds.

– For a fruit version, stir in 1/2 cup of crushed strawberries, mangoes or papaya.

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