Chaas (Lassi/ Flavored Buttermilk Drink)- A perfect summer cooler:-)

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Chaas is a kind of flavored buttermilk drink, somewhat similar to salty lassi that is usually served at the end of a heavy meal because it aids digestion. The first time I tasted chaas was at a Gujarati restaurant where we had had a thaali ( a meal consisting of a variety of curries/ dhals/ rice and phulkas, all made in Gujarati style). After getting stuffed with all that yum food, the waiter got this chaas at the end. I was not sure if I wanted anything more, but my father kept telling me that it would taste awesome at the end of the meal, so I tried it. He was right, it was delicious, cool , refreshing and a perfect end to a heavy lunch.

For the last week or so,  the temperatures here have been soaring and 100 deg days seem to have become the norm. In this sweltering heat, I wanted something cool and refreshing to round out Sunday lunch. And a tall glass of chaas seemed like the perfect thing for it. I loosely followed this recipe to make the chaas and it tasted very authentic and it felt great to have a tall cooling glass of this drink on a super hot day. So if you are looking for a summer cooler to go with your Indian themed lunch/ dinner, give this one a try :-)

Click here for a printable view of this recipe

Ingredients and Method to make chaas
2 cups plain yogurt (curds/dahi)
4 cups chilled water
Small piece of Thai or Indian variety green chili (or to taste)
sliver of ginger
1/2 tsp black salt (kala namak/ sanchal)
1/2 tsp cumin powder (jeera powder)
pinch of asafoetida powder (hing / perungayam)
salt to taste

Mince the green chili and ginger together. It yielded about 1 tsp of minced chili + ginger

Using a blender, blend all the ingredients together.

Serve chilled. Refrigerate the balance, stir well before serving.
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Yields 6 cups of chaas.