How to make Vegan Curd with Pilk?

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Pilk.

When I first went vegan in late 2014, there were just a few vegan milk options—basically soy milk and coconut milk—easily available in Indian markets. That is why most people who avoided dairy had to resort to making their own milks at home. Do check out these easy-to-make vegan milk options if you love vegan DIY recipes!  

Thankfully, the current non-dairy milk scene is a lot different with newer options hitting the market regularly. Now we get everything from soy milk and coconut milk to peanut milk and oats milk. You can even find almond, pista, and walnut milks if you are feeling fancy. 

The trend continues to be skewed towards nut milks and for understandable reasons. However, many people are allergic to nuts or may choose to avoid nuts due to health reasons. What if such folks wanted to enjoy a mug of steaming hot chocolate or a tall glass of sweet, chilled lassi? Enter Pilk! Pilk is a 100% plant-based milk alternative that is free of all major allergens, including soy and nuts. Made with oats, cowpeas, and moong, it is highly stable and doesn’t curdle when boiled. And yes, you can totally make curd with Pilk in case you are craving lassi or shrikhand. 

Time taken: 20 minutes + setting time (5-12 hours)

Yields: 400 ml

Ingredients

• 2 bottles Pilk (200 ml each)
• 1/2 teaspoon agar agar powder 
• 1 tablespoon vegan curd starter

Method

1. Pour the contents of the Pilk bottles into a deep-bottomed saucepan. Add agar agar powder and mix well. Keep aside for 5 minutes.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring continuously until agar agar is fully dissolved. Let it simmer for 1 minute. Switch off the heat and transfer to another container in which you want to set the curd. 
3. Let the Pilk cool down until it is lukewarm—you should be able to dip a finger comfortably. Mix in the vegan curd starter.
4. Keep aside to set for as long as you would for dairy curd according to the climatic conditions in your region. The setting time would vary from 5-7 hours in summer to 10-12 hours in winter.

Note: While Pilk doesn’t contain any added sugar, I find the taste to be on the sweeter side. Use Pilk curd to make sweet dishes like shrikhand and lassi or simply enjoy with a sprinkle of jaggery powder.