Sữa Chua Yaourt (Vietnamese Yogurt)

After having two kids, I began to feel old, at least in the back of my mind.   My skin seems to wrinkle around my eyes and those fine lines suddenly are magnified 10 times over. My mind went on the offensive and I had to come up with a recipe to combat these evil lines. A weekly massage is costly; eating yogurt which I heard is not only good for your skin but it also decreases the risk of colon cancer, improve digestion, help protect 
against cardiovascular disease and it's supposed to help reverse lactose-intolerance, sounds like a better idea.  So, it's been a couple weeks and my two darlings and I have been making and eating our own yogurt, hoping that in a few months, I will have soften those wrinkles. 

I always like the taste of Vietnamese yogurt. It's simple, smooth, sweet, creamy and slightly tart.  I like to freeze it and  let it thaw for about a few minutes or microwave for about 10 seconds before eating it.  In the picture above, I made 3 kinds of yogurt: Vietnamese-style yogurt drink, fruity yogurt and just plain yogurt.  My oldest daughter's favorite one is the yogurt drink;  I just poured a jar of plain yogurt in a tall glass, add some crushed ice, squeezed some lemon and lime, and added a teaspoon of sweetened condensed milk.  Then mixed them up.  She just loves the sweet-tart and wonderful aroma of the yogurt drink. 

My husband's favorite one is fruity yogurt which I combined just fresh fruits into the yogurt.  He likes the fresh taste of fruits incorporated with the tangy taste of yogurt.  It looks absolutely delicious, fresh and healthy.

RECIPE: Sữa Chua Yaourt

*

Ingredients

1 can (14oz.) Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 can*  just-boil water (bring water to just about to boil.  Turn off heat and and wait for the bubble to subside before use)

1 1/2 can* whole milk

6 oz-1 cup Vietnamese yogurt or plain yogurt 

*use the empty can of condensed milk to measure

 

Making yogurt

In a large bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk and hot water. Stir until homogeneous.

Pour whole milk into the mixture bowl.  Mix it.  The mixture should be lukewarm. Add yogurt and mix it until the mixture is smooth. 

Using a strainer or cheesecloth to strain the mixture to make sure there isn't any lumps. 

Use a ladle to pour mixture into the jars or cups. Put lids on yogurt jars.

Put the yogurt jars or cups in a large pot.  Heat up  water to near boil (not boiling).  If your water is boiling, just turn the heat off and wait for the bubble to settle down.  Then pour hot water carefully into the pot or container for water bath until the water has reached almost to the top of your yogurt jars or cups.   You might want to use a funnel to pour water into the pot so water won't get into the yogurt.   

Cover the pot with a towel and set it aside at room temperture for about 6 - 7 hours.  The yogurt should thicken and tart.  If you prefer it a little more tart, just let it sit in the water bath for a little bit longer.  The longer you leave the yogurt in the pot, the more sour it will be. Remove from bath, wipe each jar dry and store in fridge until ready to serve. 

If you live in a humid, hot place, another method to ferment yogurt is after pouring yogurt in the jars, put them on a big tray and leave it outside for a few hour.  If you make it in the moring, it should be ready to use in the evening.  

Note: If you use boiling water for water bath, the yogurt will be sweet and will not thicken. If this happened to you, don't toss it away. You can make yogurt drink out of it. Just pour a jar of yogurt in a glass of ice. Squeeze some lime juice and lemon juice. Add a teaspoon of condense milk and mix it up. The drink should be sweet and tart.