Let us journey through the steps of creating a delicacy that takes me back to my childhood home in Turkey, the yogurt. It’s a simple but nourishing and delightful recipe that my mother, Zehra has refined over the years. This recipe embodies the essence of home cooking, where intuition and experience are the main ingredients, with just a touch of motherly warmth. So let’s prepare ourselves to embark on this gastronomic adventure! 🥄🍶😊
Ingredients:
- Organic one gallon of milk (preferably Straus from Whole Foods)
- Organic heavy whipping cream (preferably Straus from Whole Foods)
- Four spoons of yogurt (or your yogurt cultures if you are doing it for the first time)
- A tip of a teaspoon of sugar
- A tip of a teaspoon of baking soda
Procedure:
- Begin with the milk, bring it to a boil. Ah, the sweet scent of boiling milk, it’s like an invitation to a comforting feast. The key here is not to over-boil it. Five minutes of boiling should be sufficient.
- Add the cream into the boiling milk. The cream will enrich the milk and influence the final texture of the yogurt.
- Now the milk needs to cool down. Pay close attention to this part, as the temperature should not be too cold. A good way to check is by dipping your pinky finger into it; the milk should slightly burn your finger (be careful, and use your own judgement to hurt yourself). The words “burn” and “milk” might not sound too good together but trust me, it’s the correct way in the mom world.
- Now it’s the time to introduce the yogurt, sugar, and baking soda. This trinity will aid in the fermentation process, and it’s what gives the yogurt it’s delightful tang. Add these into the pot where you’ll be making the yogurt.
- Afterwards, pour the cooled milk into the same pot, and give it a good mix. This ensures all the ingredients are well distributed, setting the stage for our future yogurt.
- Now, cover the pot — not with a lid, but with a strainer. It may sound strange, but this little step is quite critical. A strainer covered with a cloth is our chosen tool, it aids in the fermentation process and keeps the environment just right.
- Then, we let it rest for about 8 hours, allowing nature to weave its delicacy. Meanwhile, you can relax, perhaps read a bit of Rumi, contemplate life, the universe, everything.
- After those rhythmic 8 hours have gone by, place your pot in the fridge for a little while. Ah, the suspense! The magnificence of the yogurt in making!
- Once it’s sufficiently cooled, you are all set to enjoy your homemade Turkish Mom style yogurt. However, don’t rush to close the lid, leave it off for a bit, and then close it. The lid-off time helps evolve the flavor just a bit more. 💫
Wait, there, did you hear that? Ah… it’s mom’s laughter echoing through the kitchen. Beautiful!
I look forward to hearing how your yogurt-adventure turns out! Bon Appétit! 🌹
