Yoghurt - Thahi

Using Yoghurt (Thahi) in Indian Cooking

Yoghurt is a fermented milk product that is produced by adding bacteria to milk. The bacteria ferment the milk sugar (lactose) to product lactic acid which acts on the milk protein Casein producing yoghurt. This action gives yoghurt its characteristic tangy flavour and texture.

Indian cooking

Yoghurt is usually used as curd in India and tends not to be a set yoghurt. I always use Greek yoghurt for all of my dishes and I steer away from using low fat varieties as there is always the fear of the sauce splitting. Yoghurt tends to be used in lots of different marinades because it starts to tenderise the meat and acts to help the spices penetrate into the meat. It is also used to produce the gravy in a number of curry dishes especially in the Kashmiri style of cooking. Yoghurt is widely used to make a number of main dishes, desserts, drinks, side dishes and sauces.

Hung yoghurt

Hung yoghurt is exactly that - its been hung to remove excess liquid usually through a thin muslin or cheese cloth. For marinades I like to hang my yoghurt or an hour or so but for desserts such as Ras Mali the yoghurt need to be hung over night creating a thick cheese like substance which can be beaten and cooked.