I remember my first morning living here in China. I was still recovering from the twilight-zone-like experience of packing up all my belongings, saying see-you-later’s (much later) to people I love, spending hours cramped on various airplanes, and crossing over time zones to land on the other side of the world to this new place I would be calling home.
I was being escorted around town that morning, getting a lay of the land and help settling in, when two other foreigners who had been living here for a while, hopped into our van with their morning breakfast in hand. I was amused at the hilarity of seeing these two guys pop open the cap of their bottled yogurt and proceed to slurp away the contents of the container with the little accompanying straw. This was so weird to me. It took me a little while to get over the strange association I had with drinking yogurt through a straw, but it has since become the norm, and sometimes I even prefer it to eating yogurt with a spoon.
Providing the body with probiotics that help promote healthy GI bacteria, as well as packing a few grams of protein, yogurt has made its way onto many “Foods You Should Eat” lists…and for good reason. I have tried a number of different yogurts out here, and there are a few that I really like. But I have found that most are pretty heavy on the sweetness, and not really knowing exactly how much additional sugar is in some of the yogurt, I decided to look for a way to try my hand at making my own. I know several people who have found great yogurt makers on Taobao or other websites, but I stumbled across this microwave method that has worked great for me. I have heard you can also get a similar result using just a stove top, but I have yet to try it.
Talk about a simple ingredient list. You only need two ingredients:
Milk and yogurt
So easy. You can use any type of milk and yogurt that you like. I just go with the milk and yogurt that I usually have on hand.
As far as the containers that you use, it is best if you do not ever have to transfer your yogurt, so a glass container with a lid is ideal. The ratio of your recipe will probably depend a bit on the size of your container. I use 800 mL of milk for each batch that I make but if you have a bigger or smaller container, you will want to tweak the numbers a bit.
Place in the microwave and heat until the milk until it starts to boil for a bit, being careful not to scald it.
Then pull your milk out and place on a towel on the counter to cool down to about 110 degrees F, skimming back the top layer that will form every few minutes as it cools. I don’t have a food thermometer, so I usually skim the milk 3-4 times and let it cool until it is still hot but warm enough to touch without burning yourself.
Take out a bit of the heated milk and mix in a separate bowl with a few spoonfuls of yogurt. Whisk together the milk and yogurt mixture well and then stir back into the rest of the milk.
Place a lid on your container and wrap up in a towel or blanket to help keep the heat in. Let sit for at least 6 hours. You can keep out on the counter or place somewhere that will act as a sort of “incubator” (like your microwave) while the yogurt sets up.
After letting sit out, your yogurt is ready! Refrigerate until you are ready to eat.
I have to admit, not every batch I have made has turned out perfectly. So do not get discouraged if it does not turn out quite like you hoped. With the variables of time and temperature, not every batch will turn out exactly the same. But after a few tries, it is easy enough to settle into a good consistent yogurt with this method.
–Enjoy your yogurt as is
–Mix with fruit and granola
–Sprinkle with cinnamon
–Blend into a smoothie
–Stir into your oatmeal
–Use as a base for salad dressing
–Substitute for sour cream in baking
Ingredients
1 L of milk
1 Tablespoon yogurt
Directions
1) Pour milk into your bowl. Heat on high in the microwave for about 8-10 minutes. This will vary microwave-to-microwave. You’ll want it to be so hot that you have to skim it, but not super heated.
2) Remove it from the microwave and place it on a towel to cool to 110-115 degrees. Skim it periodically. It should be hot to the touch, but more than just lukewarm.
3) Remove around 1/4 cup of the heated milk and mix with 1 heaping tablespoons of yogurt. Then return the mixture to the milk and stir thoroughly to mix.
4) Cover your dish again and wrap well with a towel or blanket to preserve the heat. Let sit for at least 6 hours.
5) Refrigerate.
My China Kitchen 