Vegan Curd Starter with Dalia

There are several ways to make vegan curd starters, but this one is the *ultimate* in my opinion. One major issue that people generally face with vegan curds is the absence of a natural tang or sourness, and this starter is perfect for solving this problem 🙂

A BIG thank you to Inderjeet Kaur Tinani for suggesting this idea in a Facebook post. This starter liquid is naturally sour and adds such a delightful tang to the curd! You can add more liquid if you prefer your curd to be on the sourer side. Do try and share your results!

Vegan Curd Starter with Dalia

Yields: 200 ml curd starter liquid

Preparation time: 5 minutes + fermentation time

 Ingredients

• 1 glass lukewarm water (200 ml)
• 1 heaped tablespoon dalia (broken wheat)
• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional, but recommended)

Method:

1. Take the dalia and sugar in a bowl. Add a glass of lukewarm water and mix. Cover and keep aside undisturbed for 36 hours (up to 48 hours in winters).
2. The water will be somewhat bubbly on the surface now—it’s now teeming with the “good” bacteria that help set dahi! If it’s not bubbly yet, keep aside for a few more hours.
3. Filter out the dalia particles and reserve the water. It will taste a bit fizzy and have a slight pleasantly sour taste. It can be refrigerated for up to a week in an airtight container.

Usage: to make any plant-based curd, add 1 tablespoon of this starter liquid to 500 ml lukewarm milk and keep aside overnight or for as long as you would for dairy curd.

Featured in the image is peanut rice curd set with this starter. Check out this post for a few other varieties of vegan curd to make with this starter!

Also see: 5+ Varieties of Vegan Curd Starters to Make at Home! 

IMPORTANT NOTE: discard the water if it smells bad or has a slimy texture.