Pudina Chaas | Mint Buttermilk

The bacterial fermentation of milk using a starter culture is what gives us Yogurt or what we call as Curd/Dahi in India . This bacteria  present in the culture acts on the lactose in the milk during the process of fermentation and that is how Dahi is formed. This video on my YouTube channel demonstrates how to set thick Yogurt /Dahi at home. 

It is only in India where we use the term Curd for  home made yogurt while Curd actually refers to the part left after the curdling of the milk by adding an external substance like vinegar or lime or citric acid . Paneer or Chenna is the product that is got after the milk undergoes coagulation or curdling. 

 An Indian meal is never complete without the Dahi component in some form or the other . South Indians love to end their meal with some yummy curd rice with pickle while the North Indians love to end their meal with some chilled Chaas or sweet lassi . 

If you all are wondering why so much detailing about Curd/Dahi , it is because this week in our Foodie Monday Bloghop group, the theme is Curd or Dahi . We were given a choice by Poonam  to select between Tomato based or curd based recipes and needless to say Curd won the votes hands down and we named this week as Dahi Delights .. Poonam who blogs at Annapurna has some amazing recipes on her blog which you must definitely check but as it is curd based theme , do try her Curd Quinoa which is inspired from the famous curd rice /thayir saadham.  A fantastic twist using Quinoa . 

Use of Dahi in Indian Cuisine

Apart from lassi or chaas , Dahi is used in a lot of main stream dishes in both South as well as north Indian cuisine . There are many such lip-smacking famous recipes on my blog and I shall share the links in this post which you must try if you are  a dahi lover like me . 

Kerala special

Aviyal 

Kaalan

Mambazha (Mango) Mor kootan 

Tamilnadu Special

Morekuzhambu 

Irupuli Kuzhambu 

Mor Rasam 

Curd Rice/Thayir Saadham

Gujurat Special

Gujarati Kadhi 

Fajeto (Aam  Kadhi)

Karnataka Special

Udupi Majjige Huli 

Raita Varieties 

Mix veg raita 

Kumaoni Raita 

Sweet potato pachadi /raita

What is chaas/buttermilk?

Chaas is whisked yogurt that is diluted with some water  and seasoned with salt and some mild spices like cumin powder, asafoetida , jaljeera etc .Neer mor is the south Indian version of chaas and has ginger , curry leaves, green chillies as flavoring agent

Today's recipe is nothing complicated or fancy but a very flavorful Pudina or Mint flavored buttermilk which is very very refreshing on a hot summer afternoon. Mint as we know has a lot of health  benefits especially related to aiding digestion and preventing stomach disorders. Summers are time when we need to keep our body and stomach cool , which is why this pudina chaas is all the more recommended. 

Buttermilk Variations

Neer mor ,

Vazhaithandu Mor (Banana Stem BM)

Masala Chaas 

Preparation Time - 5 mins 

Cooking Time - Nil 

Complexity easy 

Makes - 500 to 600ml.

Ingredients 

10 to 12 fresh mint leaves 

1 small green chilly

Small piece of ginger 

200 ml or 2 cups thick curd /dahi 

400 ml chilled water 

Salt as needed 

Pinch of black salt 

Method 

• Blend the mint leaves , chilly,ginger and salt with little water into a fine paste and set aside 
• Whisk the curd using an electric beater or manual whisk till it appears creamy.  
• Add the ground mint paste, salt , black salt and chilled water and whisk it again until it appears nice and frothy. Adjust salt based on your need.
• Pour into glasses and enjoy with your meal or keep it refrigerated until your lunch time.

Note

1. Don't use sour curd as it will change the taste of the buttermilk .
2. Preferably use freshly set curd and make sure you whisk it properly so that the cream blends with the curd and doesn't float on top .
3. You can also add some coriander while grinding the paste for added flavor .

linking this to foodie Monday bloghop week #255 - Dahi Delights