Yogurt & Desserts

Yogurt is eaten with almost every meal across South Asia. Dahi, thayir in Tamil and curd in Indian English, is spooned beside a biryani, whisked into raita, mixed into curd rice, and churned with water and salt into buttermilk on a hot afternoon. In Sri Lanka, buffalo curd set in clay pots is eaten with kithul treacle as a dessert. This collection brings together everyday yogurt and ready made chilled desserts in one part of the fridge.

For yogurt, the main choice is texture and fat. Set yogurt is firm enough to cut with a spoon and is the closest to homemade dahi. Stirred and Greek style yogurt is smoother and thicker, good in marinades and dips. Full fat gives a creamier raita and is less likely to split in a curry. Chilled desserts include sweet yogurts such as mishti doi and shrikhand, rice puddings, and fresh sweets that need to stay in the fridge.

To keep yogurt from curdling in a hot sauce, whisk it smooth first, take the pan off the heat, and stir it in gradually before returning it to a gentle simmer. A pinch of gram flour whisked in also helps it hold.

Keep yogurt and desserts chilled and use them by the date on the pot. Our chilled range is delivered locally. For dessert mixes that keep in the cupboard, see kheer and payasam mix, and for drinks, lassi and flavoured milk. The rest of the fridge is in chilled and dairy.