Cooking Diary – Log 11 – 16.03.2014
Hey there,
I am back again, still. 🙂 This week I had a quite tight schedule and deadlines so I hope to mark the record of writing the shortest post ever on this blog by sharing one of the simplest yet most guaranteed recipes of mine. What is it, then?
Remember when Diary Queen promotes their “Blizzard” ice cream that can be turn upside down without slipping out of the cup, it, the brand, is coming to Vietnam. I was intrigued, so I came to the store, buy one cup, tried reversing the cup, and was amazed. How? Why? Then I realize, it means the ice cream is very thick, thick enough that it holds on to the cup that strongly.
One of the dish I made, possess that power, too. It was so thick, and creamy, and tasty, and freshly made. And I proudly present to you: My Homemade “Upside-down” Yogurt, that did not slip out of its container (conditions applied that you should not make them upside-down for more than 30 second and your container is not wide open on top) 😉
Excited yet? Me too.
Recipe:
Make 1 liter of yogurt –Difficulty: (Super duper) Easy
- 1 liter of whole milk (2%)
- 200g sweetened condensed milk (more or less depending on your taste)
- 200g active sweetened/unsweetened yogurt (can be bought from stores, read the label “with live bacteria)
That is it, 3 ingredients, so simple.
Utensil:
- 15 small glass/plastic jars or whatever containers with cap you have
- 1 2-liter pot
- 1 big spoon
- 1 cooking thermometer (if applicable) otherwise, you can use your finger
- 1 funnel (make your pouring tons easier)
- 1 big ice box / heat proof container, picture below
Demonstration
Step 1: First you have to sanitize all jars, pot, spoon, funnel by boiling them in hot water, then air-dry them. One tricky part of working with bacteria is that you have to eliminate all possibilities of attracting the bad kinds and create a suitable environment that nurtures the good kinds. Work clean is the first step.
Step 2: Mix well ¼ of whole milk (250ml) with all the condensed milk, then pour them into the sterile pot, cook on medium heat until it starts to boil.
Step 3: When this comes to a boil, pour the rest of the milk into the pot, still well. Then check the temperature using a thermometer. It should read maximum 40 degree C up to this step. This is the most suitable temperature for the kind of bacteria we want.
If the temperature is more than 40 degree C, wait for at least 15 minutes then check again. How does 40 degree C feel like in case you don’t have a thermometer in hand? Imagine bacteria is just like human, what we like is what they prefer, too. So dip your (clean) finger into the pot, if you feel comfortable and this is the kind of temperature you want to take a bath in, your bacteria will love it too. 🙂
Step 4: When the temperature is correct, pour into the pot 200g active yogurt, then stir well. What you just did is to introduce the live and helpful bacteria into their new home. Hope they like it. Your milk will smell very yogurt-like by now, but it is not ready.
Step 5: Pour the cultured milk into prepared jars using the funnel. Here is my system.
These are all ready. Filled…
…and capped.
Step 6: Now preparing the icebox by pouring enough hot water and then put all yogurt jars in. Make sure that when all the jars/yogurt containers are in, the water height is ¾ of the jar’s height.
What if you don’t have an icebox, you can culture your yogurt in a big pot and change hot water every 4 hours to make sure that the inside temperature is always around 40 degree C. Or you can put the jar inside the oven then turn it on at 40-50 degree C for 8 hours.
Step 7: Now all you can do is wait, for at least 8 hours, or in some cold area, 12 hours. Until your yogurt is like this…
See, magic, upside down, no pouring. 😉 Told ya!
Now, taste it, if it is sour enough, keep it in the fridge, coolness will slow down the bacteria, force them to go hibernating. They can stay there for at least 1 week so don’t worry if you cannot finish all at once (I doubt this though). If it is not sour enough to your taste, culture them in warm environment for another 2-4 hours. If it is not sour at all and does not thicken up, check your active yogurt and try again with a different brand.
It was so creamy; you just cannot stop at one jar. This goes great with a handful of raspberry and toasted almond, yum.
OK, this is it, my shortest post ever (till this very moment), hope you enjoy it. Next week I will (hopefully have time to) continue the second part of my Hanoi food tour saga. Now, after a long day of swimming in the vast sea of Finance knowledge, I am off to sleep.
Until next time,
Rose.
