Substitute for buttermilk?

I am trying to make an Indian dish here in Japan which calls for buttermilk - which I cannot find here. This is big baked chicken and rice dish with lots of other ingredients - in addition to the 13 oz of buttermilk it also has 7 0z of coconut milk, 40 oz chicken stock, basmati rice, tomatoes, star anise, curry leaves etc etc

Given the plethora of other ingredients I was thining of I might be able to get away with "faking" buttermilk - some light cretaking some light cream and throwing in some sour cream.

Any ideas? Any known substitutes for buttermilk?

Thanks

A tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in a cup of milk works pretty well in pancakes. It sours the milk to give it that sharp taste of good buttermilk. Sour milk works well as well but you may not have time to make it -- the vinegar or lemon works almost immediately and has the same cooking and mouth feel properties as buttermilk.

Technique: warm the milk to around 110F -- I use the microwave for fifteen seconds or so. Stir the milk and lemon or vinegar for 10 to 15 minutes. Or, leave the mixture in the fridge over night to get a smoother version.

Or plain yogurt if it has a tart component -- you may want to mix in a bit of water to get the same buttermilk like consistency.

Personally I steer away from sour cream as a substitute for buttermilk -- it is richer, has a sweeter flavor and has a different mouth feel.

Regards, Bob

Bob's technique is right on. I've done it many times myself when I don't have buttermilk on hand.

If you ever do find buttermilk, keep it in the freezer where it will last indefinitely. Thaw it in the microwave to measure what you need and then put it back in the freezer.

Or you can dilute sour cream with skim milk.

The best replacement is to combine yogurt with plain milk, about 50-50 mix. The vinegar/lemon thing is not quite right. Buttermilk is fermented like yogurt. So using yogurt is the closest replacement.

"The best replacement is to combine yogurt with plain milk, about 50-50 mix."

It depends, Bernard. There are two types of buttermilk -- one, the thin, watery liquid left over when cream is churned into butter. This type of buttermilk should be treated like regular milk -- it doesn't ferment but is used as is. This is my buttermilk "standard" because as a kid we made our own butter on the farm. The vinegar/lemon trick works better if you are trying to replace this liquid -- for me, in pancakes and in an Iranian soup/drink made from buttermilk, raisins, cucumbers and dill.

Cultured buttermilk [aka cultured milk, soured milk or fermented milk] is more available in our area nowadays. It is made by fermenting low-fat or skim milk with special buttermilk culture bacteria. The microorganisms convert some of the lactose into lactic acid. The acid curdles the milk protein, giving the buttermilk a thick consistency and a sour, aromatic taste.

I agree that if this is the taste and mouthfeel you are trying to duplicate, unflavored yogurt diluted with water or skim milk is a better substitute.

Regards, Bob