Everyone loves yogurt or curd. It is one food which is relished 'sweet or salted' equally by one and all. In Indian cuisine it has a special place in every meal as raita or plain curd.

Apart from the usual, there are several other interesting ways to eat this dairy wonder.

Try it this way,

Make a dip, take a dip

Forget fattening mayonnaise and calorie laden cream. Instead of using those, try using thick yogurt while making a dip. The little trick is to hang curd overnight in a muslin cloth to get rid of excess water and make it thicker.

Rest of the recipe is simple. Beat the thick curd smooth. Add seasonings like crushed garlic, chills flakes, mustard sauce, mint chutney or whatever you fancy. Check and add salt as per taste. Serve with finger food, fresh & raw veggie sticks or crackers.

Spread the curd

Use the above recipe of creamy and yummy dip on breads as a spread. Substitute it with regular mayonnaise in your sandwiches and burgers. Rest assured there won’t be any compromise on taste.

Curd in salad

Cut, chop and shred salad ingredients like lettuce, par boiled carrots & peas, boiled corn,cucumber,tomatoes,sprouts, roasted peanuts, pine nuts or whatever you like. Mix half a cup of thick and beaten curd. Add a dash of lime, pinch of sugar, a spoonful of olive oil, salt to taste and your healthy salad is ready. Viola! It’s super yummy and healthy.

Yummy Smoothie

While making shake or smoothies with milk and fruit, use curd instead of milk and keep the fruit of your choice same. Take fruits like banana, strawberry, mango, chikku and other such fruits in a blender and add a cupful of thick curd. Add sugar and ice if desired. Churn for a minute and there you get a nice, creamy and healthy smoothie!

Smoothies are a great source of energy post workout and an excellent breakfast option.

Frozen dessert:

Frozen fruit yoghurt can be a great dessert option. Lightly sweeten thick curd (you can use honey for this), add small pieces of cut fruits and some chopped nuts. Mix gently and freeze in nice ice-cream glasses. Using small shot glasses for this would be a nice idea too.

Handy Tips

• Replace all your cream based recipes with thick yoghurt
• Even in your pastas, add thick yoghurt to make it creamy
• To get creamy texture, pass the set curd in a wide sieve