Chaas
Yoghurt thinned with water and seasoned with cumin, ginger and curry leaf. Ten minutes, and it is what an Indian household drinks after lunch.
Photograph credit: Mint lassi (image of Chaas on Wikidata Q5065982) by Nitin · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
What to Put on the Table With Chaas
- Any Indian meal
- Tawa pulao
- A heatwave
How to Make Chaas
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Whisk the yoghurt on its own until it is completely smooth, about 1 minute.
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Add the ice-cold water a little at a time, whisking, until fully combined.
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Whisk in the cumin powder, black salt, sea salt and pepper.
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Stir in the grated ginger, green chilli and curry leaves.
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Taste and correct the salt — it should be clearly savoury, not bland.
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Chill 20 minutes so the aromatics infuse.
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Strain if you prefer it smooth, or leave it as it is.
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Pour over ice, scatter the coriander over and serve.
Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.
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Worth Knowing Before You Cook
Whisk the yoghurt smooth first, water after.
Ice-cold water or it splits.
Twenty minutes standing lets the ginger and curry leaf come through.
Common Substitutions & Variations
- Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the green chilli. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.
- If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.
Storing and Reheating
Keeps 2 days refrigerated. Whisk again before pouring.
Chaas: Your Questions Answered
How long does Chaas take to make?
10 minutes of preparation and of cooking, plus 20 minutes of chilling, so allow 30 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 4.
What's in a Serving
Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: part of the energy comes from foods, or weights per item, with no recorded source. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
Cooked this? Keep a note for next time
Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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