ਦਹੀਂ

What does dahi mean in Punjabi?

Dahi (ਦਹੀਂ) means curd in Punjabi: milk that has been set into a thick, mildly sour food by fermentation. A spoonful of an earlier batch is stirred into warm milk and left undisturbed for several hours, until the milk sets. In Indian English this home set food is called curd, while yogurt usually means the packaged kind.

How dahi is set at home

The milk is first boiled and then left to cool until it is warm, not hot. A little dahi from a previous batch, the starter, is mixed in, and the bowl is kept in a warm place without being moved. Over the next several hours the milk thickens and takes on a gentle sourness. Once set, it is put in the fridge and used over the next day or two.

In many Punjabi homes the milk is from a cow or a buffalo. Buffalo milk is richer, so dahi set from it tends to be thicker, with a creamy layer on top. The same bowl of dahi also provides the starter for the next batch, so the practice carries itself forward from day to day.

Dahi in Punjabi meals

Dahi sits in the middle of a Punjabi meal in many forms. It is served plain beside parathas and sabzi, whisked into raita, and cooked into kadhi. Whisked thinner with water and salt or sugar, it becomes chaas or lassi, two drinks the Kosh also covers. Because it is cooling and easy to eat in summer, a bowl of dahi with lunch is an everyday habit in many homes.

Is dahi the same as yogurt?

They are close, but not quite the same in everyday use. Dahi is the traditional home set curd made with a starter from a previous batch, while yogurt in Indian English usually means the packaged, heat treated product bought from a shop.

How do you say curd in Punjabi?

Curd in Punjabi is dahi (ਦਹੀਂ). The same word is used at home, in the market, and in the names of dishes such as dahi bhalla and dahi kadhi.

How is dahi used in a sentence?

You can say: ਪਰਾਂਠੇ ਨਾਲ ਦਹੀਂ ਬਹੁਤ ਸਵਾਦ ਲੱਗਦਾ ਹੈ, which means dahi tastes very good with parathas. More examples are given below on this page.