Kachumber with home made yogurt
Yield: 4
Fresh, cooling and vibrant, this kachumber combines crisp cucumber, creamy avocado, tomatoes and spring onions with mint and toasted watermelon seeds. Served over homemade a2 Milk® yoghurt and finished with roasted cumin, it’s a refreshing salad that pairs beautifully with grilled meats, curries and barbecued dishes.
Ingredients
Kachumber
Homemade a2 Milk® Yoghurt for Kachumber (Makes 2 Litres)
Instructions
Kachumber
- Spread the thick Homemade a2 Milk® Yoghurt into the bottom of a salad bowl.
- Split the Cucumber in half and remove the seeds with a teaspoon, cut into chunks and place on top of the Yoghurt.
- Peel and cut the avocado and place it on and around the cucumber. Scatter the Tomato, Spring Onion, Mint Leaves and toasted Watermelon seeds.
- Sprinkle it with a little Cumin powder and serve.
Homemade a2 Milk® Yoghurt for Kachumber
- Pour the milk into a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Warm the milk, stirring regularly to prevent the milk from catching. Bring it up to 40C. Sprinkle in the milk powder and stir to dissolve. Continue to heat the milk, stirring, until the temperature reaches 96°C (just before boiling). Remove from the heat, leaving the spatula in the milk.
- Add hot water in a bowl to sterilize the bowl before using the bowl as yogurt bowl
- Half-fill the sink with cold water and gently immerse the pot into the cold water (the water should be halfway up the outside of the pan).
- Stir the milk gently from time to time as the temperature drops. When it is between 30°C and 38°C, add the Yoghurt Culture or the Yoghurt and stir to combine.
- Lift the pot out of the water and wipe dry with a clean tea towel to prevent any water from contaminating the milk. Pour the milk into a sterilized bowl and cover with plastic film.
- Place in a warm environment (between 28°C and 38°C) for 12–16 hours. The longer you leave it the thicker it will get. Once it has reached desired thickness, transfer into containers. Keep refrigerated and use within 5 days.
Notes
Yoghurt is easy to make, but I like to offer a few pointers to the beginner.
- Keeping milk at ambient temperatures for a long period of time means you must keep everything meticulously clean by sterilizing the equipment you use. You’ll need a digital thermometer for this recipe.
- In the same way as teaspoons and tablespoons are commonly used as a measure for cooking and are widely available, home cheese-making uses a system of measurement. Its terms include a ‘drop’, ‘dash’, ‘tad’ and a ‘smidge’. It’s easy to buy Yoghurt cultures online. I use a flat spatula to stir the milk, which prevents the milk from catching on the base of the pan. I’ve used various places as ‘the warm spot’, including wrapped in a blanket, or in my fancy oven set to 35°C.
