Pittsburgh_Patrika_October_2016

The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 22, No. 1 , October 2016
More on Tayir, Dahi, Mosaru, or Perugu
By Kollengode S Venkataraman
The write up in the last issue for making authentic tayir (dahi, mosaru,
or perugu) had surprising reader responses. It was a good point for conversation
for me with friends in social gatherings, much to the chagrin
of my wife. More importantly, I received e-mails from readers enquiring
how they can get the starter tayir. A couple of them even came to my place
to get the starter tayir. They made the original stuff at home, carefully
following the instructions. They were pleased with the outcome.
One reader from the American mainstream was surprised that it is so
easy to make this at home. She commented that the one she made at home
tasted much better than the standard Dannon fare from grocery stores.
By now, tayir and its other Indian variants are common words for our
readers. So I will no more italicize them going forward.
One reader was so impressed with the tayir he made at home that he
enquired the shelf-life of the starter tayir, if he goes on vacation. As a matter
of fact, I was away for 2 weeks in July-August. I kept the starter tayir
in a small container in the refrigerator, making sure that the starter tayir
is filled to the brim of a container, and the container was closed with an
air-tight lid. When I returned from my vacation, the starter tayir was well
preserved in its original condition. When I made a fresh batch of tayir, it
came out just perfect. Note: If the container is partially filled and closed
with a lid, the trapped air in the container may spoil the starter tayir.
Usha Gowda of Monroeville, who is originally from Karnataka, is one
of my friends. She suggested this improvement for making mosaru (the
Kannada term for tayir): After adding the starter stuff to the milk that
is boiled-and-cooled to room temperature, put a small piece of dry red
chilly into the vessel and gently stir it and let it sit. Some phytochemical
in the red chilly accelerates the fermentation and the mosaru is ready in
5 to 6 hours; it sets also a little thicker, and slices better. Indian green
chilly also works just fine.
Finally, an e-mail came from my demanding English teacher at the
engineering school where I took a course in writing at the behest
of my professor. I am eternally thankful to him for asking me to take the
course, and to the demanding teacher for sensitizing me to the nuances of
writing for different audiences. She, now in retirement, is in our mailing
list. I am one student of hers, maybe her only student, to edit and publish
a community magazine. She enjoyed the tayir story, which made her recall
her rips to India decades ago. Her letter appears on the next page.
Separately, very perceptively, she also said this: Regarding your comment
about the tayir starter, yes, the difference in yogurts around the world
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