Serves
4
Prep Time
4 hours
Cook Time
10 mins
This dahi is excellent in preparations like chaat, kadhi, chaas, lassi, and even curd rice because of its pleasant and gentle peanut flavour.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw light-coloured peanuts
- 8 green chillies (any variety will do as we only need the chilli tops)
For flavouring to use in raita
- ½ tsp roasted cumin seed powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander
Method
- Soak the peanuts for not more than 4 hours. The dahi will not set well if you soak it for longer.
- Drain the water and place the peanuts in a blender jar. Add 400 ml water and blend to a relatively thin consistency.
- Add another 300 ml water 100 ml at a time and continue blending to get a finer consistency.
- Strain and squeeze the mixture through a nut milk bag or a thin muslin bag to remove as much liquid as you can.
- Heat the strained milk in a big thick bottomed steel pot on a low flame initially. Slowly increase the heat till the milk starts simmering. Simmer it for 3 to 4 minutes stirring it continuously till it comes to a boil.
- Once it rises to the top of the pot, turn off the heat, take it off the flame, and allow it to cool down a bit.
- Pour it into a mud pot or glass bowl and add the green chilli tops from fresh green chillies. (Break the chilli tops just before using them as we need the bacteria present there.) These are used for setting the first lot of dahi. You can use five to six teaspoons of the set dahi as a starter for the next pot of dahi you make.
- Cover the pot with a plate making sure it is not airtight and place the pot or bowl in a warm place where there is no wind and the bowl will not be disturbed.
- Allow it to ferment for 8-9 hours (more in winter).
- Blend and add roasted cumin seed powder, salt, coriander, etc to mask the peanut flavour that is quite evident the first time you make it. The flavour reduces each time when you use the set dahi as a starter.
- Use this dahi to make your favourite chaat dishes, use it in dahi wada, kadhi, chaas, lassi, and even curd rice or as a marinade in biryanis.
