Of Donkeys & Dhoklas

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When I first went vegan a decade ago, I had NO idea that something called “vegan dahi/curd” even existed! For many months, I was just cooking and eating vegan-by-default food. Back then I used to cook mainly north Indian food, and Indian cuisine, thankfully, has a lot of lentil-based and vegetable dishes that are naturally vegan. Then one day, I learned about peanut curd in some online vegan platform and that started off an exciting journey of experimenting with not just peanuts but also many other ingredients to make different varieties of vegan curd.

On this blog, I have already shared plain peanut curd, peanut curd without starter, peanut-cashew curd, and peanut-rice curd. In this post, I am going to share yet another peanut combo curd that looks lovely, tastes amazing, and is good for eating with Indian meals or to be incorporated into any savory dish that has curd as an ingredient. So you can make raita, masala chaach, kadhi, mor kozhombu, chukauni, dahi aloo, etc.

Now, you may ask, “Why do we need yet another peanut combo curd when we already have other versions?”

And the answer is, “Why not? We can never have too many varieties of vegan curd, can we? 🙂 ”

While I love each and every version of peanut curd I have already tried, there is definitely something special about this peanut-cashew-almond curd. While the peanuts lend a certain appearance akin to the dairy curd we all grew up eating, the cashews make it rich and creamy. Addition of the almonds gives this curd a delightful tang that is enjoyed by both vegans and non-vegans alike. And this tasty curd is so easy to prepare as well. So make a batch and enjoy!

Read this post on How to Make Peanut Milk to learn more about making deodorized, smooth, and thick peanut milk at home for making this dahi.  

Preparation time: 15 minutes + setting time

1 Indian teacup = 150 ml

Yields around 700 ml curd

Ingredients:

• 4 teacups peanut milk, freshly made (600 ml)
• 4-5 cashews,  soaked in hot water for 20-30 minutes 
• 4-5 almonds,  soaked in hot water for 20-30 minutes 
• 1 cup water (150 ml)
• 1-2 tablespoon starter curd/starter liquid
• 1 teaspoon sugar, optional

Method:

1. Drain the soaked cashews and rinse well under running water. Drain the soaked almonds, peel them, and rinse well under running water. Transfer them to a small mixer jar and add ½ cup water. Blend into a smooth paste. Add the remaining water and blend again.
2. Add the cashew-almond milk to the peanut milk and mix well. Add sugar, if using. Your peanut-cashew-almond milk is ready!
3. Bring the peanut-cashew-almond milk to a boil in a deep-bottomed kadhai/saucepan while stirring frequently. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.
4. Let the mixture cool down for several minutes. Once it is just slightly warm—you should be able to dip a finger comfortably—mix in the starter curd/ starter liquid and stir.
5. Keep aside to set for as long as you would for dairy curd according to the climatic conditions in your region. Setting time would vary from 5-7 hours in summer to 10-12 hours in winter.