Churn it up: Chaas – The desi drink that keeps us refreshed during summers

NT Features

In India, what we call buttermilk is not what exactly the drink translates to. However, in common parlance, the delicious curd-based drink called chaas, has come to be known as buttermilk for a lack of a better term. Traditionally made by churning out the butter from milk, or even curd, Chaas is one of India’s favourite coolers which has undergone plenty of changes over the years. What used to be prepared by the dilution of curd with water has now been made in various different methods across the entire country.

Chaas is brilliant as a digestive, and with the addition of spices such as cumin, it has enhanced benefits. Commonly had during the warmer seasons of the year, the desi buttermilk helps to balance one’s body temperature, and is an excellent choice for those who are on a diet since sugar is not an ingredient in this drink. It brings with it all the benefits of curd, and watering it down helps reduce the fat content.

The recipe for this tall drink varies from state to state. It is mostly called chaas in North India, mooru in Kerala, mor in Tamil Nadu, majjige in Kannada and Telugu. In West Bengal, it’s called ghol, and incidentally is sweetened with sugar. While the plain salted chass is the most famous one, there can be an addition of ingredients – apart from roasted cumin seeds, such as chopped coriander, chopped ginger, crushed mint leaves, green chillies, chaat masala, rock or black salt. These add their own unique flavour and benefits to the drink.

In many homes, the spices are slightly tempered for a few minutes in a splash of soil before they are added to the diluted curd, and this adds an instant interesting kick to the beverage. However, the drink is almost always served in the chilled form. In the olden days, when there was no innovation of science, chaas used to be stored in mud pots to keep cool.

In other nations, buttermilk is also made by churning butter out of milk cream, and is often used as an ingredient in cooking. For example, adding that to the red velvet cake mix is what makes the delicious desert super fluffy.

If one goes looking for chaas and its various avatars across India, they will be available from small eateries to five star hotels. Despite being a summer favourite, it is made throughout the year. Making it at home is of course a lot of fun because it involves almost no cooking and a few minutes of time.