Bhatia Masala Chaach (Spiced Buttermilk)

About this recipe

Chaach is the buttermilk that closes a Bhatia meal, thinner and more savoury than a lassi, sharp with green chilli and ginger, finished with a hing tempering that lifts it into something more than just diluted curd. In our family, it's as much a digestive as a drink, the way Indian meals end with something cooling. The base is whisked curd, beaten smooth before any water goes in. Add water to lumpy curd and you'll never get it truly smooth. The technique is gentle: whisk the curd until it's completely smooth, then add cold water in a stream, whisking constantly. The spices go in while the chaach is at room temperature—roasted cumin, black salt, fresh green chilli, ginger and mint. Everything is fresh and cold and sharp. The asafoetida tempering is what makes it special, though; a tiny pinch of hing in hot oil, added at the very last moment, blooms in the cool liquid and brings a depth that's impossible to describe. Serve it properly cold, with ice cubes floating in each glass. In our house, someone always makes extra because it disappears. It's the drink on hot days, the drink after heavy meals, the drink that says the meal is finished now. Make it just before serving; it doesn't keep more than a few hours. The flavours are brightest when freshly made.