Chocolate flavoured yogurt

Nutella yogurt cups

Yogurt is on top of the list of healthy foods and healthy eaters swear by it’s benefits. When I see all the fuss on this super food because of its probiotic contents….I smile in agreement.  All the advertisements of different brands of yogurt and yogurt sections growing bigger in the diary aisle of supermarkets makes me say, ‘Go, yogurt go!’. It is a very regular food in Indian houses from time immemorial. Although yogurt has a Turkish origin, it is generally used all over India and called curd/dahi. Half of our curd has whey water which is a goood protein! I would say, I survived my school days mainly on curd rice and pickles. Yes, I am a devoted devourer of yogurt. Every meal of rice at home, ends with curd rice. Curd being such an essential food, it is always found in my refrigerator, stored in glass containers because it can react with metals.

I make my curd at home as it is quite simple. Milk is coagulated to make curd. Boil 2 % milk until it foams and tries to overflow. Allow it to cool until it is lukewarm. Add culture which is 1/2 tsp of old curd. Leave it overnight undisturbed, in a warm place to ferment and set. The next morning there will be yummy, creamy curd. This cold weather is giving me a hard time getting it right, so I have to bundle it up in a woolen wrap. Every time the curd turns out well, I pat my shoulder in pride.

Last week end, spotting a boy eating frozen yogurt in a wafer cup at Ikea, I became a copycat. It was extremely creamy and I was impressed by its taste. I thought it was impossible to replicate it because they may have some secret ingredients to get that texture. Still, I was itching to make some tasty yogurt at home. When I strained the whey out of my curd, voi·là!…I could get very thick, creamy yogurt with a wonderful taste. I added some nutella to give a small twist to my plain yogurt.

Chocolatey yogurt with nutella

• 1 cup curd
• 2 tbsp nutella
• 1tbsp milk
• few slices of orange

1. Strain curd using a fine mesh or clean cloth to remove the whey water.
2. Stir thick curd with a spoon to get a smooth texture.
3. Spoon it into a serving cup and fill it half way up.
4. Mix milk with nutella and microwave it for 30 seconds to get a smooth, runny consistency and cool it.
5. Pour a spoonful of this on top of the yogurt.
6. Top it with more yogurt and decorate using orange slices.

I had this with my breakfast today and felt like a refined foodie. As food is normally tasted by the eyes before it reaches our mouth, this yogurt is a crowd pleaser. It is a kid charmer too. Try this on people who like to skip yogurt.