Hey folks, here’s yet another variety of vegan curd starter that is super-easy to make 🙂 !! It’s also neutral in flavor—a big advantage! The idea for this post came from a comment on a Facebook thread on plant-based curds by my friend Poonam Dhup Juneja ji (yeah, the Vegans in India group on FB is my favorite place for learning new tips and tricks related to vegan foods!!) She wondered if we could just soak moong dal in water for a few hours and use that water as a curd starter, would it work if we tried the same soaking method with cooked rice? I tried, and yes, it does work 🙂 Yayy!! You can also use poha instead of cooked rice.
The image featured is of peanut-cashew curd set with this starter.
Time taken: 10-12 hours
Yields ½ cup starter liquid
Ingredients:
- 1 level tablespoon cooked rice or poha, any kind
- A pinch of sugar/jaggery, optional
- ½ cup water
Method:
- Mix the cooked rice/poha, sugar/jaggery (if using), and water in a bowl. Cover and keep aside for 10-12 hours.
- The water used for soaking will have small bubbles floating on the surface. This means your curd starter is ready! Filter out the rice/poha and reserve the bacteria-rich water.
- One tablespoon of this liquid can be used to set approx. 500 ml of any vegan curd.
Click on the given links for a few other types of vegan starter and different varieties of plant-based curd to try!
Thank you for suggesting such an easy way of making vegan curd.
Do try and share your result 🙂
Thank you
You’re welcome, Rekha ji 🙂 Do try and share your feedback!
My name is Jose an I live in Canada.
I am going to try this recipe and I will let you know it went. Try to enjoy your summer there and PLEASE! Stay safe and well.
Hi Jose! Yes, do try and let me know 🙂
You too stay safe!
Hey Namrata! Thankyou for suggesting this amazing starter recipe, but can you please clear one doubt, you have mentioned cooked rice, so should i cook the rice till the water is completely absorbed by the rice, or should i drain the excess water when the rice is cooked? Which method is most suitable?
Hi Rashika! You don’t have to cook the rice separately for making this starter. Whenever you cook plain unsalted rice as part of your meal, take a little from it and use it. I use rice cooked in a pressure cooker in which all the water is completely absorbed.
Okay! Thankyou so much!
One more thing, can i use the pre-made curd again and again for setting a new batch, just like we do for dairy yogurts?? Or does the culture gets bad after 2-3 batches and i need to make one more again?
Yes! Once you make the first batch of curd, save some for using as a starter in the future. You can even freeze a portion of the curd for this purpose. However, use only thick, creamy, and good quality curd as the starter.
I feel Peanut curd set with soaked poha water as a starter tastes is near to dairy curd
Thank you for putting great efforts
Thank you for sharing your feedback 🙂
Can I use cooked millet, instead of rice? I am intolerant to rice.
Yes, yes. You can!
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