How to Thicken Yogurt for a Creamy, Delicious Treat
Nothing is better than a good thick yogurt as a side dish to Persian Khoresh and polo rice. If you are buying yogurt, then buy the Greek yogurt as this is already traditionally thick but I prefer to my own homemade yogurt.
I often get asked how to make thick yogurt, and there is a simple trick that I use. When I make yogurt I always add a good quantity of dried milk powder, I add enough to double the consistency of the milk, for example if I am using 1 liter of milk, I add enough dried milk powder to make a liter of milk. For details of how to make yogurt is on my yogurt recipe.
A more traditional way of making thick yogurt it to strain it through a thin cheesecloth overnight, but an alternative to this is to place a clean toweling cloth on the top of freshly homemade yogurt, and place in refrigerator overnight. The cloth will absorb excess liquid making the yogurt a much thicker consistency, and I find it is less messy.
Thick Yogurt in Recipes
There are many ways to enjoy thick and creamy yogurt. You can eat it plain, or use it as a base for milkshakes, smoothies, dips, or salad dressings. You can also bake with it.
We use plain yogurt as side dish for khoresh and curries. If the dish is a little spicy, a dollop of plain thick plain yogurt will reduce the heat. I like it on the side to polo rice dishes and kebob also as it helps the meal from becoming too dry.
Yoghurt is a dairy product produced by adding a culture to milk and allowing to incubate producing a thick substance. Yoghurt used in traditional Persian cooking is very thick and unsweetened.Greek yoghurt is a good substitution.
Mast-o-Khiar (tzatziki) is a wonderfully, cool and refreshing side dish to serve with Persian khoresht and rice. This dish is traditional in many middle eastern countries, and here is the Persian version.
Spinach and yogurt goes really well together. This simple recipe combines the flavours of spinach, garlic and yogurt to makes a simple dip, and using frozen spinach makes it a quick and easy accompaniment to a trio of dips.
In this recipe I use powdered garlic, not only does this make it quicker to prepare, but the flavour of the garlic is easily mixed into the yogurt.
Yogurt & Spinach recipe
Place the frozen spinach in a microwave jug, and microwave for 30 – 60 seconds until defrosted.
Stir through and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
Add to a mixing bowl with the thickened yogurt, salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Gently stir together to combine well. Be careful not to mix to vigorously as this will release the liquid from the yoghurt, making it watery.
This recipe for pot yogurt has developed over time and now I have 100% success. Always resulting in thick, creamy yogurt every time, regardless of how little or how much I make.
Sometimes I will make as much as 8 kgs at a time, and give extra to my boys when they come over with their wives on family night. But, still as a family of three at home, we would eat at least 2ks a week of this natural thick yogurt.
It is called pot yogurt because the ingredients are mixed and poured into a pot to set at a temperature of 45 Deg C. My secret that makes the yogurt set every time is that I use my oven set at 45 Deg, resulting in a consistent temperature.
The yogurt is usually ready after 6 hours, but I often leave it in overnight and put it in the fridge in the morning.
Another secret, that makes this yogurt recipe so easy is UHT milk. No more heating the milk to the correct temperature before adding in the starter. Simply start with UHT milk and the manufacturer has done the hard work for you. The Ultra Heat Treatment prepares the milk ready for the starter to do it’s work.
Always make sure you keep around 500g of the last batch of yogurt, ready for the next batch.
How to make Pot Yogurt
You will need a good 2 liter jug that pours will and a whisk. You can increase the qty, by using the same ratio. I keep old bought yogurt containers and use these when making yogurt.
Pour 1 liter of UHT milk into the jug, and add 2 tlbs of yogurt and 6 scoops (2 cups) of skim milk powder. Whisk together till well mixed.
Add in more UHT milk to make up to 2 liters.
Pour into sterilized containers you are going to use to set your pot yogurt.
Repeat with more UHT milk, yogurt and skimmed milk powder, mix well and add more UHT milk to make 2 litres.
Top up the yogurt pots with the yogurt mixture.
To set the pot yogurt, heat the oven to 45 Deg C and place the pots on a wire rack in the middle or towards the bottom of the oven. Leave to set for about 6 hours, and your pot yogurt should be set and ready to cool.
Test the yogurt by removing the lid and gently tipping the pot. The yogurt should be firm and completely set. If not, the return it to the oven and test again in a couple of hours.
I often put it in the oven in the early afternoon, and turn off the oven before I go to bed and the yogurt is ready to be cooled in the refrigerator in the morning.
Do remember, usually the longer the yogurt takes to set, the sourer the yogurt is. I find a nice plain natural yogurt takes about 6 hours in the oven.
Doogh, a Persian yogurt drink, is very refreshing, and a must with any Persian Kebab. It is surprisingly easy to make, and even more so if you have a Soda Stream to give you soda water on demand.
Any plain natural yogurt can be used for this recipe, but the thicker the yogurt, the more soda water you will need to add.
The amount of salt added is very personal as some people like it a lot saltier than others.
In our family, we always have doogh with Kebab in summer, and it has been the tradition that the kids make the doogh while the Kebab is cooking. The recipe is really that simple.
How to make Doogh – Yogurt Drink
Add natural yogurt to a glass jug, and with a whisk, stir in salt and dried mint.
Very gently pour in soda water. To stop the soda water from bubbling too much wile pouring into the jug, gently tip the jug on the side so the soda water is being poured onto the side of the glass jug rather than into the middle of the jug.
Serve over ice with a sprig of mint for decoration.
This yogurt drink can be made in advance and stored in airtight bottles in the fridge ready to serve. Remember to give it a gentle shake before opening as the yogurt will settle to the bottom of the bottle over time.
Yogurt Drink – Doogh
This refreshing yogurt drink, known as Doogh, is a must with Persian Kebab and rice, Chelow Kebab. Commercial versions of Doogh are becoming more readily available, but it is very easy to make and the ingredients are available in most kitchens. Perhaps an acquired taste to some Westerners but once appreciated it is a must at any Persian BBQ.
