Learn how to make chaas or spiced buttermilk - the quintessential beverage of India! These simple and tweakable recipes are a tasty way to keep yourself cool during summers! Here are three exciting chaas recipes with instructions on how to make buttermilk and how to spice it up!
SUMMER IS OFFICIALLY HERE!
I can't tell you how much I love summer. Summers are when holidays begin, and mango season starts so I can stuff my face with every variety of mango there is. As children, summer was when we were allowed to binge on ice creams and sodas, and all things chilled!
I also remember there would always be a big jug of spiced buttermilk in the fridge. We would drink some before heading out to play in the sun, and another glass when we got back. Though the base recipe is the same, every household makes their own slightly different version of chaas.
We've put together our three favourite chaas recipes in this post. They are so simple, you can make them in minutes anytime any day. I've also added ingredient suggestions to spice things up!
- Classic Masala Chaas
- Pudina (Mint) Chaas
- Beetroot Chaas
Traditionally, buttermilk is the by-product of churning butter. Most Indian houses would churn their butter every other day from malai or cream collected from boiled milk.
But we don’t do that as often these days, and now chaas is made with yogurt or curds.
Classic Masala Chaas (Majjige)
The classic masala buttermilk is made out of curd and water until it's light and frothy. The consistency is thinner than milk. Ingredients like ginger, green chillies, coriander leaves, salt and black salt turn up the SPICE factor.
Masala Chaas (Indian Spiced Buttermilk)
Ingredients
Buttermilk
- 1 Cup Curd
- 2 Cups Water
- 1 Green Chilli optional
- ½ Inch Piece Ginger
- ½ Teaspoon Black Salt
- ¼ Cup Coriander Leaves finely chopped
Tempering
- ½ Teaspoon Vegetable Oil
- ¼ Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1 Sprig Curry Leaves
Instructions
Buttermilk/ Masala Chaas
- Blend curd, water, green chilli, ginger, salt and black salt on high speed in a blender until well blended and frothy. Add chopped coriander and mix well.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours or until chilled.
Tempering
- Add oil to a tadka pan and allow to heat up on high flame. Once hot add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Reduce the heat to low and add curry leaves and fry for 15 - 20 seconds or until crunchy. Turn off the heat. Mix well and add to the chilled buttermilk and serve.
Nutrition
Mint/Pudina Chaas
This is one of the tastiest chaas there is. The mint leaves are blended along with the curds and water. Mint leaves add SO much flavour and leave a kind of lingering coolness on your tongue. A pinch of roasted cumin powder, ginger, green chillies and ground pepper make this variant truly lip smacking!
Pudina Chaas or Mint Chaas
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Curd
- 1 ½ Cup Water
- ⅓ Cup Mint
- 1 Green Chilli
- ½ Inch Piece Ginger
- ¼ Teaspoon Roasted Cumin Powder
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Black Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper freshly ground
Instructions
- Blend together curd, water, mint leaves, green chilli, ginger, roasted cumin powder, salt, black salt and black pepper. on high until well blended and frothy.
- Season with more salt if necessary. Refrigerate and serve chilled.
Nutrition
Beetroot Chaas
All the fellow doting parents out there, listen up! Here's a sneaky way to make your kid eat beetroot! I made some beetroot chaas for Mahi once. And she downed it! That bright pink colour, and sweet taste of beetroot make this one a hit with kids and adults. Beetroot chaas is slightly thicker in consistency than the other two variants. You can adjust the consistency to your liking by adding water.
Pro Tip: When blending, use the same water that you boiled the beetroot in. You'll pack in all the nutrients and extra colour!
Beetroot Chaas
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Beetroot peeled and cut into small half inch pieces
- 1 Cup Water
- 1 ½ Cup Curd
- ½ Cup Water
- 1 Teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Roasted Cumin Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Black Salt
Instructions
- Add beetroot and 1 cup of water to a pot and bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce the heat to a medium and boil till the beetroot is soft and tender, about 5 - 7 minutes.
- Remove the beetroot and allow it to cool. Do not throw away the water. Once cooled down, blend the beetroot into a puree along with 2 - 3 tablespoons of reserved water. If necessary, you can add more water for a thinner consistency.
- Add curd, water, red chilli powder, roasted cumin powder, salt and black salt to the blender as well along with the beetroot puree. Blend on high to combine, continue until frothy.
- This results in a slightly thick chaas, you can add more water and adjust the consistency to your liking. Chill in the fridge and serve cold.
Nutrition
Tempering
We Indians love tempering most of our dishes and chaas is no exception. Tempering for chaas is a simple 3-ingredient affair. Splutter some mustard seeds and curry leaves in hot oil and you're good to go! Tempering is added at the very end to add an extra layer of flavour to buttermilk.
Spice it Up
Wanna make your buttermilk more irresistible? Here are some more ingredients you can add to these recipes:
- Roasted cumin powder has aromatics which add nuttiness and an earthiness to chaas. It's also a great digestive, and is cooling in nature
- Hing or asafoetida can also be added to the tempering for its pungent flavours
- If you don't like black salt, you can substitute it with chaat masala and make masala chaas!
NOTE: Always refrigerate chaas for 2 hours or until chilled!
Serve Thandi Chaas garnished with chopped coriander leaves any time of the day!
theflowerspoint says
Very nice Women day cake recipe
Angeline Joseph says
Loved this recipe, so simple and straightforward. Perfect to beat the Delhi heat!