Cultured cooking, is all about using different cultured products to give a depth of taste to everyday dishes. Yogurt made of milk is a common cultured food in the Middleast and in India. Yogurt dishes range from cold apple soup to a Bulgarian rice hotch potch; Transylvanian goulash to Tandoori chicken; Biryani rice to Goan fish kababs. Yogurt makes great dips, sauces, dressings, topping and smoothies. In India and many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries yogurt is also used as a souring agent to give dishes a fresh tangy flavor.
Yogurt has been used for generations in cooking and is an excellent source of calcium, riboflavin, vitamin B12 and protein. Live yogurt cultures have the ability to survive in the digestive tract. Lactic acid and other substances produced by the cultures may help alleviate some gastrointestinal problems.
Cooking with Yogurt
Yogurt when added to curries and soups must be added in the end otherwise it has a tendency to curdle or separate. Add yogurt and only let it heat through. Do not cook yogurt.
In a few dishes, in India , yogurt is combined with lentil powder and water to make a smooth soup and this is cooked on low heat until the soup thickens.
