Real yogurt

Last activity 20 May 2022 by toufas

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marikagkNew member15 May 2022 13:59:43

Hi all, I am a European, new in Vietnam. At the moment I am placed in Da Nang and hope for a 3-month visa in order to stay longer.
I am desperate for a real yogurt without sugar due to extra probiotic diet I have to follow.
The best recommendation was Dalat yogurt which is far from real yogurt. Any help on that?
I would appreciate any tip. Thanks

OceanBeach92107VIP Member15 May 2022 16:14:26

6951

Hi all, I am a European, new in Vietnam. At the moment I am placed in Da Nang and hope for a 3-month visa in order to stay longer.
I am desperate for a real yogurt without sugar due to extra probiotic diet I have to follow.
The best recommendation was Dalat yogurt which is far from real yogurt. Any help on that?
I would appreciate any tip. Thanks
- @marikagk

Vinamilk has a Greek yogurt line, but most contain fruit & sugar.

I've only been able to find their sugar free, full fat Greek yogurt once.

There used to be a few Greek & Middle Eastern restaurants in the Danang/Hội An area that made their own yogurt, but I'm not sure which ones survived the extended lockdowns and border closures (no tourists).

In Google Maps, search for "Greek Restaurants near Danang, Vietnam"

If you want to try making your own, search YouTube for "making Greek yogurt".

If you can communicate well with a Vietnamese woman, many of them make basic yogurt for their children and to sell (my young housekeeper in Vũng Tàu could do it).

Just be clear if you want sugar or not.

Hopefully you'll get some replies from locals with better ideas for you.

Welcome to Việt Nam!

toufasMember16 May 2022 03:45:23

Yeah, I know what you mean.

As a Greek and a yogurt lover living partially in Vietnam for the last 12 years in several areas, I found no product in the market close to real yogurt.

Here comes the good part.

Recently, I have been introduced from friends to a homemade yogurt a Vietnamese family makes in Hoi An area.

I was really surprised. Creamy, sour and very tasty. I will gather more info as I am interested myself and let you know.

So far, I know they were trained by a Greek living there before and as they work from home no mass production.

AndyHCMCVietnam Expert16 May 2022 04:27:24

1855

Hi all, I am a European, new in Vietnam. At the moment I am placed in Da Nang and hope for a 3-month visa in order to stay longer.
I am desperate for a real yogurt without sugar due to extra probiotic diet I have to follow.
The best recommendation was Dalat yogurt which is far from real yogurt. Any help on that?
I would appreciate any tip. Thanks
- @marikagk

Try shopee or lazada they sell farmers union greek yogurt.

Guest2023Guest16 May 2022 04:31:07

214245

Lotte Mart used to sell yoghurt.

jayrozzetti23Serial expat16 May 2022 05:41:37

773

.
I am desperate for a real yogurt without sugar due to extra probiotic diet I have to follow.
The best recommendation was Dalat yogurt which is far from real yogurt.
- @marikagk

Just curious. What's not real about Dalat yogurt?

Anywayz, where I shop, there is also a "Greek yogurt" brand that is considerably more expensive.

I'll have a look at the label and pass on the info to you.

OceanBeach92107VIP Member16 May 2022 06:55:35

6951

.
I am desperate for a real yogurt without sugar due to extra probiotic diet I have to follow.
The best recommendation was Dalat yogurt which is far from real yogurt.
- @marikagk

Just curious. What's not real about Dalat yogurt?

Anywayz, where I shop, there is also a "Greek yogurt" brand that is considerably more expensive.

I'll have a look at the label and pass on the info to you.
- @johnross23

Dalat plain yogurt is not Greek yogurt.

Greek yogurt is very thick--double or triple strained-- and somewhat sour.

Original Greek yogurt is full fat.

Also, most yogurts labeled "Greek" in Vietnam contain sugar and sometimes fruit.

If you've ever had nice, thick Tzatziki sauce with Greek food, it should be that consistency.

jayrozzetti23Serial expat16 May 2022 10:00:24

773

.
I am desperate for a real yogurt without sugar due to extra probiotic diet I have to follow.
The best recommendation was Dalat yogurt which is far from real yogurt.
- @marikagk

Just curious. What's not real about Dalat yogurt?

Anywayz, where I shop, there is also a "Greek yogurt" brand that is considerably more expensive.

I'll have a look at the label and pass on the info to you.
- @johnross23
Dalat plain yogurt is not Greek yogurt.

Greek yogurt is very thick--double or triple strained-- and somewhat sour.

Original Greek yogurt is full fat.

Also, most yogurts labeled "Greek" in Vietnam contain sugar and sometimes fruit.

If you've ever had nice, thick Tzatziki sauce with Greek food, it should be that consistency.
- @OceanBeach92107

OK.

Anywayz, the other yogurt that is available is:

Farmers Union Greek Style Natural Yogurt

https://farmersunionaustralia.com/en/ourproducts/your-everyday-go-to-yogurt/

(as mentioned by Andybris2020 above)

marikagkNew member16 May 2022 12:09:58

Thank you all for the information. I will check and hope to find something suitable for me.

marikagkNew member17 May 2022 08:34:28

#10

@johnross23

Dear John,

Thanks a lot for the tip.

As Bulgarian, yogurt for us is a religion.
Except all these details OceanBeach92107 correctly mentioned, yogurt preparation in the Mediterranean countries is a real tradition and requires special technique and procedure.

We are really spoiled in this unique taste in our daily life as we eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, salad, dressing e.t.c for health and as cosmetic as well.

For sure, it must not contain sugar, be creamy, sour and thick up to really thick depending animal milk and use.

Plus, Greek yogurt as well as Greek feta cheese is patented products and, normally, it must not be written on the product packaging as it is misleading customers.

Have a nice evening.

marikagkNew member17 May 2022 08:35:56

#11

@toufas

Dear toufas,

When you will have new information, please let me know, as I would like to try it.

Thanks.

SteinNebraskaViP17 May 2022 14:00:23

#12

1276

My wife used to make it when we lived in VIetnam because she wanted the real thing instead of the added sugar. At least to me it didn't look difficult to make. You should consider it.

toufasMember18 May 2022 10:13:11

#13

Making it myself, of course, is an option as I have the knowledge from my grandmother and mother.
But it needs time, standard place to live and, for sure, consistency.
And the result will be, of course, better and healthier than what you get in the supermarkets but, still, not the real thing as in Vietnam it is very hard to find a fresh cow milk or goat milk (right from the animals).
Milk companies are legally permitted to re-pasteurize fresh milk up to 7 times and, in the end, most fat and probiotics are lost.

THIGVViP18 May 2022 10:56:53

#14

4423

Milk companies are legally permitted to re-pasteurize fresh milk up to 7 times and, in the end, most fat and probiotics are lost.
- @toufas

As long as you get and maintain a good starter culture shouldn't Pasteurized milk work just as well? I am talking about regular pasteurization and not the so-called Ultra-pasteurization that allows milk to be sold warm. There may be sellers of raw milk but almost all dairy production in Vietnam is on large factory farms as the industry developed after 1975. These are owned by communes. or as public corporations.

You might try a search of the forum for raw milk as I think it was discussed before. Be prepared however for result for both milk and raw as the internal search function does not handle multi-word searches too well.

marikagkNew member20 May 2022 02:48:59

#15

Thank you for the advice but at the moment the circumstances do not help me to start doing it myself.
My priority is to secure another visa in order to stay longer in Vietnam.
For the future it is not a bad idea, even for my little knowledge the procedure is not that easy.

Thanks anyway.

AndyHCMCVietnam Expert20 May 2022 03:03:07

#16

1855

Thank you for the advice but at the moment the circumstances do not help me to start doing it myself.
My priority is to secure another visa in order to stay longer in Vietnam.
For the future it is not a bad idea, even for my little knowledge the procedure is not that easy.
Thanks anyway.
- @marikagk

Lock&Lock(dot vn) sells 1L yogurt makers EJY119SLV & EJY211 when/if you get that far under 1mill on sale now for 318k & 470k

(I was just looking for one when make own was mentioned)

toufasMember20 May 2022 13:25:39

#17

I am really happy that there are so many people interested in that topic and I can share more information for yogurt lovers like me.

Of course, pasteurizing milk at home it is equal and even better than milk factories as long as you are aware how to do this.

It is very easy with wrong temperature or heating time, plus cooling procedure to destroy the milk.

Briefly the procedure is:

After finding the right milk (cow, goat, sheep or mixed), the first step is pasteurization.

When pasteurization is completed, you let milk cool and, with the help of a thermometer, you add the yogurt yeast (liquid, dry or a part of active yogurt) only when milk temperature is +- 45 degrees Celsius.

then You keep yogurt covered in a warm area for around 3 hours or in the oven at 50C until you are sure that it is thick enough (the longer it stays, the more sour it will become)

Then you let it cool in a room temperature and let it in the fridge. A few hours later, yogurt is ready.

This procedure, it is actually for traditional Greek yogurt with a skin on top.

If you would like to have the famous Greek strained yogurt, you need to go through this whole procedure, let it in the fridge overnight and then strain it for 2-3 hours,

depending how thick you want it.

The whole procedure, including straining, requires around 24 hours.

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