I have had several requests, over the years, for this recipe. On Facebook, in groups, on Whatsapp, through phone calls…. I have taught anyone who asked for this recipe. But, I must admit, I learnt this recipe from Dr. Rupa Shah. While I did get the basic recipe right, it took me almost 8 years to get this to a level with which I was satisfied. For a South Indian, yogurt is used every single day. The last course for any South Indian meal (lunch and dinner) is thaiyr sadam (yogurt rice). Plus, yogurt is used in pachadi (raita, dip), kootans (wet dishes that are mixed with rice) and several other uses. Unless a South Indian household has a proper stock of yogurt, it is considered a major disaster. I am therefore particularly grateful to Dr. Shah for providing me the recipe. Without further ado, I will proceed with the recipe.

Ingredients
1 cup raw peanuts with skin
2 tsp raw rice (I use brown, but red rice is also fine)
1 litre water + a little more
Method
Wash the peanuts and rice well
Soak both, separately, overnight
Drain the peanuts and rice, reserve the water in which they were soaked
Transfer the peanuts to a blender
Add 1 litre of water (including the water in which the peanuts were soaked)
Blend to a smooth consistency (ensure there are no pieces of peanuts in the milk)
Transfer to a saucepan and set aside
Transfer the rice and the water in which it was soaked to a smaller blender jar
Grind to a smooth milk
Transfer to a small vessel and set aside
Place the saucepan with the peanut milk on a stove, high flame
Let it come to a rolling boil (just like dairy milk, this milk too tends to froth and spill over – so need to stir occasionally)
When the peanut milk comes to a rolling boil, add the rice milk a teaspoon at a time
Mix well before adding the next teaspoon
Continue this process till all the rice milk is exhausted
Continue to boil for 15 minutes
Remove from flame and set aside to cool
When the milk becomes lukewarm, add in the starter and mix wall
Set aside till the yogurt has set well
Transfer it to a refrigerator (I normally keep it out for a little longer so that it turns slightly sour – the way I like my yogurt)
Enjoy!
Note: The rice milk is used as a thickening agent. Though I have never tried it, you could try other thickening agents.