Vahchef with Indian food videos inspires home cooks with new recipes every day.
Vahchef with Indian food videos inspires home cooks with new recipes every day.
We are being gifted by numerous wonder, healthy, nutritious and natural foods. One such is the yogurt that is truly yummy, tasty, easy to prepare and is packed in a bounty of goodness. Yogurt is naturally produced by bacterial fermentation of milk and makes a healthy and easy addition to our daily diet.
Yogurt or curd is a dairy product made by curdling milk with rennet or edible acidic substance like lemon juice or vinegar. It is popularly known as Yoghurt. In the process of making curd, bacteria convert milk into curd and predigest milk protein.
These bacteria then inhibit the growth of hostile or illness-causing bacteria inside the intestinal tract and promote beneficial bacteria needed for digestion. These friendly bacteria facilitate the absorption of minerals and aid in the synthesis of vitamins of B group. Buttermilk, which has same nutritive and curative value as curd, is prepared by churning curd and adding some water, removing the fat in the form of butter.
Yogurt or Curd is esteemed for its smoothness, pleasant and refreshing taste. It is a very nourishing food, highly versatile and health-promoting and one of the most valuable therapeutic foods. It is a valuable source of protein, essential vitamins and minerals. It is also a rich source of calcium and riboflavin.
The proteins in curd are more readily digested than the protein in milk. It has been estimated that regular milk is only 32% digested after an hour in the digestive tract, whereas 91% of curd is digested within the same period of time. It is, therefore, an ideal diet for those with sensitive digestive systems, particularly young children and elderly persons.
Curd is also considered one of the best aids to natural good looks. It supplies the nerves and the skin with healthy ingredients and counteracts the ill-effects of exposure to the scorching sun. The bacteria in curd make the skin soft and glowing. Curd is also considered valuable in conditioning the hair.
Apart from the lactic acid organisms placed in the milk for the purpose of souring it, the acid of sour milk and its lactose content are important curative factors in a number of diseases. Curd brings relief to patients suffering from gastro-intestinal disorders such as chronic constipation and diarrhoea.
Besides aiding in the digestion of food, curd decreases dryness and gas in the stomach by helping in secretion of hydrochloric acid, pepsin and renin. Excessive liberation of ammonia, which is one of the major causes of coma in hepatitis, can be prevented by liberal use of curd. The lectic acid organisms in the curd counter act the formation of ammonia. In jaundice, curd or buttermilk sweetened with honey, makes an ideal diet.
In Asia, a curd is essentially a vegetarian preparation using yeast to ferment the milk. In few places of Indian subcontinent, particularly in North India, buffalo milk is used for curd due to its higher fat content, making a thicker curd. The quality of curds depends on the starter used.
The time taken to curdle also varies with the seasons, taking less than 6 hours in hot weather and up to 16 hours in cold weather. In the industry, an optimal temperature of 43 °C for 4–6 hours is used for preparation. In India, the word curd is frequently used to mean yoghurt. In South India, the meal would end with curd or buttermilk.
Curd rice is having a special place in most of the children’s menu due to its creamy texture. Having buttermilk prepared out of curd after the meals proves beneficial for digestion of food. If you find difficult to consume curd regularly you can have it occasionally in form of the Indian preparations like lassi, shrikhand, piyush etc.
You can add few pieces of mango or strawberry to the curd and grind it. A fruity drink is ready for you! Have it in form of curry by adding some coriander leaves, turmeric powder, chilly powder, ginger and garlic. Even adding a little sugar makes curd taste good.
Curd can also be used in vegetable salads. Yogurt, curd or hung curd is widely used in making a variety of appetizing and luscious dishes. It is used for making a variety of dips, relish, raitas, and also used for marinating meats for preparing kababs, tikkas, tandoors etc.
Hung curd is made by discarding the liquid portion of the yogurt which is called as the whey. This naturally made wonder food is a good source of protein, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, vitamins, zinc and potassium. Added to this, the good bacteria present in the yogurt makes it even better and tastier.
Curd is a power packed food with amazing health benefits. It is good, soothing and refreshing for the stomach, boosts immunity, good for the skin, a super rich source of proteins, healthy for bones and teeth, aids weight loss (if you use low fat milk to make curd), etc. Some of the fantastic, luscious and mouth-watering recipes made using yogurt are:
You could always reach me at my website for more amazing nutritious and healthy recipes at: www.vahrehvah.com
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