The Startup Cook – Homemade Buttermilk 

When I initially started cooking, I had to do a lot of research on recipes. I soon discovered that there were a lot of foods that call for a good glug of buttermilk. While buttermilk is available in supermarkets abroad, it’s certainly not available here. Hence I used to either use alternatives or dismiss these recipes on the whole, because in my head buttermilk was a special kind of milk that required serious machinery to be created.

This logic was steadfastly maintained until one of my friends who made a recipe I had recommended used buttermilk in it. I was marvellously impressed when she told me she had made it on her own. She told me “Shazz you do know it’s just vinegar and milk right?”. Of course this conversation continued with me asking embarrassing questions related to the ‘equipment’ she used. Anyway the important thing I learned was that buttermilk is an effortless make. More importantly, it doesn’t need to be made days before you actually need it, in fact you can make it just before you start making the recipe.

Many consider buttermilk to be a legendary ingredient, used just right it aids to make the best of dishes and desserts.

Ingredients

1 cup of milk
1 Tbs of vinegar (white)

Directions

Place the milk in a ceramic bowl, glass or a Pyrex jug.

Add the vinegar to the milk.

Leave the milk to rest for about 15 minutes (during which time the milk will start to curdle).

Stir briskly for about five minutes.

Use it immediately or refrigerate it for later use.

Disasters, Warnings and Tips

Milk at room temperature curdles faster.

I use full cream fresh milk when I make buttermilk.

For the perfect buttermilk based dinner make biscuits, fried chicken and mashed potatoes with buttermilk.

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Try not to refrigerate buttermilk for too long.

Some recipes recommend using a teaspoon of vinegar for a cup of milk.

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You know your milk is curdling up when it sticks to the back of your spoon.

Do taste your buttermilk before using it, if it tastes bitter that means you have used too much of vinegar.

Use buttermilk to make pancakes and even (if you dare) panna cotta.

By Shazzana Hamid