On Tuesday I posted an article on real versus fake yoghurt. One sure way to get real yoghurt is to make your own!

Yoghurt-making is a science. I felt like I was back in the lab when I was studying pharmacy all those years ago — with my Thermomix as the incubator!

I had no idea that when I started this venture what I would end up with. It could have been a disaster. Especially since I was using my homemade coconut milk — and not full fat dairy milk.

As luck would have it, my coconut milk yogurt turned out fabulously. It was a little runny the first time, but set the second time round because I increased the kudzu (a wholefood thickener). But I love my yoghurt slightly runny (must be the Indian in me).

I enjoyed the coconut yoghurt in smoothies, with poached berries and activated nuts as a snack, and to make bircher muesli — by soaking my homemade muesli in the yoghurt overnight.

If you like thick yoghurt, I have given some additional tips in the instructions below on how you could do this.

So let’s get on to making the yoghurt, shall we?

Coconut Milk Yoghurt

I did quite a bit of research on this, and ended up modifying this recipe, as I have a Thermomix. However, I’ve included both Thermomix and stovetop instructions below.

Some notes first:

• If you’re using canned coconut milk, make sure it is high in fat, and not your low-fat variety
• If you’re using homemade coconut milk (like I did), then the fat content won’t be high, and your milk will separate on standing. So I made the yoghurt with a freshly made batch of coconut milk.
• Obviously the make-up of coconut milk is not the same as dairy (with no milk proteins and sugars), so we do need to add some ‘natural thickeners and sugars, to help the process along
• If you like to make yoghurt from full fat dairy, you can follow the same technique below, just don’t use the starch and maple syrup.
• For the live cultures, you can buy some yoghurt culture from a health food store, or you can use a good quality probiotic. I used two of my probiotic capsules (Polybac 8). The other option is to use a couple of spoonfuls of natural yoghurt with live cultures, so in this case, use CoYo, natural coconut milk yoghurt, so it’s dairy and soy free. Next time round, save a couple of tablespoons of your homemade coconut yoghurt and use that as the live culture.
• The yoghurt should smell and taste sour, like yoghurt, but it will have a slightly sweet coconut taste.

What you will need:

Ingredients

• ~900 ml coconut milk (this is the amount I had from making coconut milk)
• 2 tbsp – ¼ cup kudzu, arrowroot or tapioca starch (depending on how thick you like your yoghurt)
• 1 tbsp maple syrup (sugars for the bacteria to eat; it may still work without this, but I have not tried it)
• live yoghurt culture/probiotic capsules (see notes above)

• a Thermomix; or a food-grade thermometer and a stainless steel pot
• a small sterilised jug (not plastic)
• a wide-mouthed thermos (like the Thermoserver)
• some tea towels and an esky
• 2 x 500 ml sterilised glass jars and lids (I immersed them in some off-the-boil water and dried the glass jars and lids (not plastic) in a low oven.)

Thermomix instructions:

1. Dissolve kudzu in equal parts coconut milk (i.e. ¼ cup kudzu to ¼ cup coconut milk). Pour this mixture and the remaining coconut milk into the Thermomix bowl. (If using arrowroot or tapioca starch, just add as is to the coconut milk.)
2. Cook at 90C for 9 minutes, speed 3. (This helps to sterilise, as well as to cook the starch)
3. Allow the mix to cool to 37C (this will take about 1.5 to 2 hours)
4. Then add the maple syrup and stir for 4 sec, speed 3
5. Pour about ½ a cup of the milk mixture into the sterilised jug and add the culture (if using probiotic capsules, pull them apart and pour the contents into the milk)
6. Gently stir the culture into the milk and pour the mix into the Thermomix bowl
7. So that the culture is mixed evenly and the temperature is at 37C, cook for about 3 mins on Speed 2, 37 degrees.
8. While the yoghurt is heating, fill your thermos with hot boiling water and place the lid on (this helps to sterilise and warm the thermos)
9. Then empty the water from thermos, and pour in the yoghurt.
10. Put the lid on the thermos, and wrap it with some tea towels
11. Place it into an esky, and leave undisturbed for 12 hours.  Then pour into containers and refrigerate for another 12 to 24 hours before eating. This helps the yoghurt to set and thicken.

[Stove top instructions:

1. Dissolve kudzu in equal parts coconut milk (i.e. ¼ cup kudzu to ¼ cup coconut milk). Pour this mixture and the remaining coconut milk into the pot. (If using arrowroot or tapioca starch just add as is to the coconut milk.)
2. Cook on gentle heat for about 9 minutes so the starch thickens. Stir continually.
3. Then turn off the stove and allow the mixture to cool to 43C. Leave your thermometer in and keep checking it periodically
4. Once cooled to 43C, stir in the maple syrup.
5. Pour about ½ a cup of the milk mixture into the sterilised jug and add the culture (if using probiotic capsules, pull them apart and pour the contents into the milk)
6. Gently stir the culture into the milk and pour the mix into pot.
7. So that the culture is mixed evenly and the temperature is at back at 45C, reheat and stir until you have the temp back to 43C. Then turn the stove off and follow steps 8 to 11 above.]

Ways to make thick coconut yoghurt

I found that ¼ cup kudzu was enough to thicken and set the yoghurt. But you could try any of the following thickeners (Note: I haven’t tried these):

• agar agar
• egg white powder — my friend Jules from Stonesoup used this. There’s also a video to show you how to make the yoghurt.
• pectin (CoYo uses pectin and tapioca)
• draining water — after setting the yoghurt you can pour it in a muslin cloth and let it drip over a bowl in the fridge
• coconut meat yoghurt – instead of using coconut milk, use the flesh of young coconuts. Here is a recipe I found.

Now go make some yoghurt. And have fun with it! Be sure to report back. I would love to hear how you go, what you did, and whether you have any tips to share.