Taak, the spiced buttermilk for hot weather
Yogurt beaten and thinned with cool water, enlivened with roasted cumin, ginger, curry leaves, and coriander, lightly salted. Light, tangy, thirst-quenching — the digestive drink of the Maratha country.
Yogurt beaten and thinned with cool water, enlivened with roasted cumin, ginger, curry leaves, and coriander, lightly salted. Light, tangy, thirst-quenching — the digestive drink of the Maratha country.
When the Malwa sun beats down on the howdah and the dust of the worksites dries my throat, a cup of taak is brought to me. It is quite simple: yesterday's curd is churned with well water, a pinch of salt, roasted jeera, and a few kadipatta leaves. Drink it cool, never iced, after the meal and not before — thus the stomach stays light for evening prayer.
- •Beaten yogurt (curd) — one bowl (base)
- •Fresh well water — twice as much (dilution)
- •Roasted ground cumin — a pinch (flavor)
- •Fresh ginger — a small piece (zing)
- •Curry leaves (kadipatta) — a few (flavor)
- •Fresh coriander — a sprig (garnish)
- •Salt — a pinch (seasoning)
Taak, the spiced buttermilk for hot weather
Yogurt beaten and thinned with cool water, enlivened with roasted cumin, ginger, curry leaves, and coriander, lightly salted. Light, tangy, thirst-quenching — the digestive drink of the Maratha country.
Why this dish? Under the scorching Malwa sun, perched on her elephant's howdah to inspect construction sites, a queen needed a digestible refreshment: this beaten buttermilk, salted and spiced, closes the meal and soothes the body.
When the Malwa sun beats down on the howdah and the dust of the worksites dries my throat, a cup of taak is brought to me. It is quite simple: yesterday's curd is churned with well water, a pinch of salt, roasted jeera, and a few kadipatta leaves. Drink it cool, never iced, after the meal and not before — thus the stomach stays light for evening prayer.
Ingredients (period version)
- Beaten yogurt (curd) — one bowl (base)
- Fresh well water — twice as much (dilution)
- Roasted ground cumin — a pinch (flavor)
- Fresh ginger — a small piece (zing)
- Curry leaves (kadipatta) — a few (flavor)
- Fresh coriander — a sprig (garnish)
- Salt — a pinch (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Plain yogurt — 250 g (base)
- Cool water — 500 ml (dilution)
- Ground roasted cumin — 1/2 tsp (flavor)
- Fresh grated ginger — 1 tsp (zing)
- Curry leaves — 6 leaves (flavor)
- Chopped coriander — 1 tbsp (garnish)
- Salt — 1/2 tsp (seasoning)
Method
- Whisk yogurt until smooth, then dilute with cool water.
- Grate ginger, add with roasted cumin and salt.
- Crush curry leaves to release aroma and stir in (remove before serving, or infuse 10 min in fridge).
- Sprinkle with coriander, mix, and serve cool, not iced.
How it was made : Taak (called chaas or mattha in other regions) is the age-old digestive drink of India: it was made from the buttermilk left after churning butter. Salty rather than sweet, it is drunk at the end of a meal to aid digestion, especially in hot weather.
The contemporary twist : Serve in a hammered copper tumbler with a fine julienne of ginger floating on top.
Ahilyabai Holkar · Charactorium
