Chaas, Churned Buttermilk with Cumin and Ginger
Buttermilk obtained after churning, whisked with water, salt, ginger, and roasted cumin. Tangy, lively, with a slight ginger kick, it is the drink of heat and fieldwork.
Buttermilk obtained after churning, whisked with water, salt, ginger, and roasted cumin. Tangy, lively, with a slight ginger kick, it is the drink of heat and fieldwork.
When the sun burns high over the fields, nothing beats the buttermilk drawn from the morning churn. Keep the whey that remains after the butter has gathered, thin it with cool well water, and beat it with a grain of salt, a hint of grated ginger, and cumin you have roasted until fragrant. Offer it first to the thirsty one before you drink yourself — for giving drink to the thirsty is serving the One present in everyone.
- •Buttermilk (churning whey) — a jar (fermented base)
- •Cool water — as needed for thirst (dilution)
- •Fresh ginger — a grated sliver (spicy freshness)
- •Roasted cumin — a pinch (fragrance)
- •Rock salt — a grain (seasoning)
Chaas, Churned Buttermilk with Cumin and Ginger
Buttermilk obtained after churning, whisked with water, salt, ginger, and roasted cumin. Tangy, lively, with a slight ginger kick, it is the drink of heat and fieldwork.
Why this dish? Milk and curd are at the heart of peasant life in the Punjab that Nanak shared at Kartarpur. After churning butter, the buttermilk remained — a humble, cool drink offered to the passerby and served in the langar to refresh everyone equally.
When the sun burns high over the fields, nothing beats the buttermilk drawn from the morning churn. Keep the whey that remains after the butter has gathered, thin it with cool well water, and beat it with a grain of salt, a hint of grated ginger, and cumin you have roasted until fragrant. Offer it first to the thirsty one before you drink yourself — for giving drink to the thirsty is serving the One present in everyone.
Ingredients (period version)
- Buttermilk (churning whey) — a jar (fermented base)
- Cool water — as needed for thirst (dilution)
- Fresh ginger — a grated sliver (spicy freshness)
- Roasted cumin — a pinch (fragrance)
- Rock salt — a grain (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Plain yogurt (or farm buttermilk) — 250 g (fermented base)
- Cool water — 350 ml (dilution)
- Fresh grated ginger — 1/2 tsp (spiciness)
- Roasted ground cumin — 1/4 tsp (fragrance)
- Salt — 1 pinch (seasoning)
- Mint leaves (optional) — a few (freshness)
Method
- Dry-roast the cumin for a few seconds until fragrant, then grind coarsely.
- Whisk the yogurt with cool water until smooth and frothy (whisk, churn, or blender).
- Add the grated ginger, roasted cumin, and salt, whisk again.
- Taste and adjust water for a fluid, refreshing consistency.
- Serve well chilled, optionally with a mint leaf.
How it was made : Buttermilk (*chaas* or salted *lassi*) is the byproduct of daily butter churning in Punjabi farms. Before ice, it was served cool from the porous earthen pot that kept the liquid cool by evaporation. Salted and spiced with ginger and cumin — never chili, unknown in India in Nanak's time — it aided digestion of grain and legume meals.
The contemporary twist : Served very cold in a terracotta cup (*kulhar*), crowned with a cloud of foam and a pinch of roasted cumin — the 'salted lassi' of farms, summer-terrace style.
Guru Nanak · Charactorium