How to Make Greek Yoghurt in Nigeria
Greek yogurt is a rich, creamy, and flavor-packed variation of the common pasteurized milk. The absence of whey in Greek yogurt concentrates flavor and is the only distinction that differentiates it from “regular” yogurt brands. Thankfully, making homemade Greek yogurt seems to be quite easy and practically foolproof. To try it out, this article will outline the processes you need to follow to make Greek yogurt at home.
WHAT IS GREEK YOGURT?
Greek yogurt, also known as strained yogurt, is a cream-based, more flavorful, and less sweet variety of yogurt. Usually, active cultures (bacteria) are added to milk, after which it is strained to eliminate the watery whey that is present in milk organically.
Some of the lactose sugars, salt, and water are also eliminated during the filtering process. Greek yogurt is therefore thicker, has more protein, and has lower levels of sugar and carbohydrates than regular yogurt.
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE GREEK YOGURT
You will need the following items:
- Milk, 500 mL (or 7 small sachet milk mixed with 2 cups of water)
- Yogurt with a bacterium culture in it, 112 tablespoons (e.g. Habib yogurt contains D.V.S culture)
- Water (2 cups, depending on the size) (2 cups, depending on the size)
- Pot
- A glass bottle (optional)
- Sieve
HOW TO MAKE GREEK YOGHURT IN NIGERIA
Here are the steps to take in order to produce Greek yogurt at home.
STEP 1: MIX MILK AND WATER TOGETHER IN A POT
The milk and water are combined in a saucepan as the first stage. This cup needs to be filled with 5-7 sachets of dry milk. Prior to pouring it into the pot, take into account the point where it ended. After that, you must add water to the cup to the same level and combine it with the milk. To achieve the proper milk powder-to-water ratio of 1:2, you must repeat that step twice.
STEP 2: PUT ON A BOIL
Bringing the mixture to a boil should be the next action you do. You can cook it on medium, stirring it every so often. Once it began to boil, you should remove it from the heat source and leave it to cool.
STEP 3: STERILIZE YOUR GLASS
It’s not necessary to use a glass jar instead. You do something like this, among other things, because the pot you use doesn’t cover tightly. Therefore, you put the glass jar and its lid in a saucepan and added water to it.
Turn off the stove once it has begun to boil and leave the item in the hot water. You must remove the glass from the milk when you remove it from the cooker and place it on a fresh napkin. Don’t keep it in longer than necessary because you might be concerned that the glass will break.
STEP 4: ADD A TABLESPOON OF THE CULTURE (YOGHURT)
The following step involves adding a spoonful of the yoghurt’s culture to one part of the warm milk. To make sure your milk is warm, examine it, taste it, and feel the edges of the pot. Make sure the temperature is not scorching, as that would kill the microorganisms. Ensure that it is not cold at all. After that, add a tablespoon of yoghurt to the milk on one side. Definitely, one tablespoon is sufficient.
STEP 5: POUR INTO A GLASS CONTAINER
The next step is to pour the content into a glass container. It may stay in the pot with a secure cover. However, pouring into a glass container and tightly sealing it is preferred.
STEP 6: KEEP IN A WARM, DARK ENVIRONMENT
The very next step is to keep for roughly 10 hours in a moderate, dark room. Put a napkin around your container (glass or pot) and put it somewhere warm and dark. Assuming you do not have a napkin large enough to completely cover everything, you can first tie a scarf around the glass before covering it with a heavy house sweater. You may put it inside a box in a dark cupboard and seriously hope for a great outcome. In the unlikely event if you carried out this preparation in the evening, keep it up over night before sleeping.
Your freshly prepared Greek yoghurt will amaze you on mere looking at it. Once you make a comparison how thick it is to what you had the night before, you can tell it has been set. If you want to create plain yoghurt, all you have to do is whisk it and serve it. However, you need to sift the whey out of Greek yoghurt which is the next step.
STEP 7: SIEVE THE WHEY
The whey has actually partially sieved out, as indicated by the liquid on the left. Yogurt should be poured through a sieve, placed in a container, and the light liquid should drain off. It might take an hour to finish this. You can place it in a refrigerator if you may not have enough time to wait, though. You might use a cheesecloth or an exceptionally clean scarf in place of a sieve if you don’t have one. It had been set by the time you were due back.
STEP 8: ENJOY YOUR YOGHURT
Eat your yoghurt in the way they pleases you to make it wonderful. You can serve it however you wish, with granola if you prefer.
STEP 9: KEEP THE WHEY, DON’T DISCARD IT
The whey has a flavor that reminds me of the Turkish yogurt drink ayran. Therefore, you might not like it. But whey offers a variety of health advantages. It can be added to smoothies or used to produce faux ayran by mixing it with a little salt.
CONCLUSION
Greek yogurt is more popular than regular yoghurt among many consumers. This type of yogurt is creamier, less sweet, and thicker. It also contains a lot of other beneficial elements like calcium, probiotics, and protein. Greek yogurt made from organic ingredients may have numerous health benefits if you consume it regularly. Your immune system, mental wellness, and gastrointestinal health are just a few of the advantages.
The favorite aspect is that Greek yogurt is simple to prepare at home with just two ingredients. For details, refer to the directions above.
Greek yogurt brands that are available in Nigeria include SantiFoodCo, Keziafoods, Zivas, and HealthnHealthy. Greek yogurt is available in Nigeria in a zillion different places. It is available at many large stores in Nigeria (like Shoprite). Additionally, you can purchase items like yogurt making machine from online merchants on sites like Instagram, Jumia, and Supermart.