MANY adult Filipinos think that yogurt has a rotten or spoiled taste. However, when yogurt is properly made, it has such a refreshing effect on the palate. Here is a simple recipe that will give you a whole lot of yogurt to last you several days for only a fraction of the cost of commercial brands.

Take one liter of milk in tetra pack (you can also mix four cups of water with one cup of powdered milk) and pour into a pot. Bring it to a boil and let it stand until it is lukewarm.

Mix the milk in one small or medium cup of a commercial brand of plain/natural yogurt as your starter culture. Make sure that the milk is not too hot or it will destroy the yogurt culture. Cover the pot and let the mixture set for six to seven hours. Place it in the refrigerator to chill. It will get thicker as it cools. If the mixture does not set at all, the problem usually has to do with the starter culture being destroyed by too hot a mixture. If you don't succeed the first time, keep trying. Remember that you are dealing with live friendly bacteria and they need the proper environment to grow and multiply. A favorable temperature for them to thrive is about 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once you have a whole pot of yogurt sitting in the fridge, you can use it for all sorts of recipes. The simplest way to eat yogurt is to mix it with fruits such as chopped bananas, mangoes or apples. Add some honey. You can also whip up a refreshing drink known in Indian restaurants as lassi or fruit yogurt smoothie. Just blend the fruit of your choice (mango, banana, papaya, avocado or peeled apples) with the yogurt and honey (or sugar). You can blend some ice cubes to produce a very cool refreshing drink.

Of course, you can also use yogurt to make wonderful salads. A good combination would be yogurt and cucumber mixed with spices such as black pepper, salt and a pinch of cayenne. Waldorf salad can be easily prepared by mixing chopped apples, 1 tsp lemon juice, chopped raisins, walnuts, diced celery together with your yogurt dressing (2 tbsp. of honey, 1 cup yogurt with a dash of salt and black pepper). You can also come up with your own yogurt coleslaw.

Yogurt also makes a wonderful side dressing to eat with viands such as ginisang monggo or menudo. The yogurt adds a creamy and refreshing taste to your home-cooked meals.

Another special preparation would be Garbanzos-Yogurt spread. Wash 1 ½ cups uncooked garabanzos and soak in five cups of water for five hours. Rinse and drain. Add five cups of fresh water and bring to a boil. Simmer until cooked and drain. Mash well and toast in 2 tbsp oil or butter. Turn off heat and cool. Add 2 cups yogurt, 2 tsp soy sauce, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper. Mix well. Chopped sweet pickles may also be added to enhance flavor.