Yogurt Drinks of the Indian Subcontinent, Part 2 of 4

What the people of the Indian subcontinent call "buttermilk," is not exactly the same as in much of the rest of the world. It is yogurt that has much of the butterfat removed by churning or by filtering yogurt through cheesecloth or muslin, so it is low fat. About the black salt called for in the one recipe, there are a couple types of black salt you might find in large supermarkets, spice stores or, certainly, in Indian or Pakistani grocery stores: one is truly black in color, which often comes from Hawaii. The Hawaiian black salt I have is in small pieces that are about half the size of caraway seeds. I put whatever amount I want on a completely dry paper towel or napkin, then I fold the towel over and smack it with a meat mallet. I also have the type from the Indian Subcontinent, which is already in powdered form, with some larger pieces of salt mixed in. It is like a pink or light purple color. Black salt has a sulfur smell to it. Chaat masala is a blend of ground spices, including black salt, available in some supermarkets, but definitely available in Indian and Pakistani grocery stores. Ground curry leaves are not the same thing as "curry powder." They are used in South Asian cooking, especially in southern India and in Sri Lanka. The leaves are typically heated before use. They are not easily found, although areas with southern Indian or Sri Lankan communities are likely to have them. You may find the ground leaves much easier. They are used as a spice. By the way, "curry powder" is a spice blend of various and numerous spices. There is no set recipe, as the choice of spices to be included is a matter of  personal preference. 

Excellent hot weather drink, but good any time of year.

Salted Buttermilk/Chaas-This drink is more common in the north. You can do this in either of two ways: use 1 cup of low fat buttermilk, then add a scant tablespoon of thick yogurt. OR, you can use 1/4 cup thick yogurt mixed with 3/4 cup cold water. You can adjust the measurements somewhat to make the drink to the thickness you wish. The people of the Indian subcontinent "tend" to drink this more on the thinner side.

Ingredients, besides the liquid component:

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon powered black salt or regular salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin + small pinch for garnishing
1/2 teaspoon chaat masala
small ice cubes or crushed ice
1 to 2 mint leaves, torn

Put the liquid component into a blender. Add the black salt, the 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin and the chaat masala. Blend briefly until the drink is a bit foamy/frothy. Pour over some ice cubes in a glass, sprinkle a pinch of ground cumin on top, as well as the torn mint leaves.

Buttermilk of Southern India/Neer Mor-As with the first recipe, choose your liquid component. Then, for the other ingredients:

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 serrano chili, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves
1/2 teaspoon chaat masala
1/2 teaspoon ground curry leaves 

Put liquid component, ginger, lemon juice chili pepper, salt, cilantro, and chaat masala into a blender. Heat oil and then add mustard seeds until they begin to "pop." Add mustard seed/oil to blender. Blend about 30 seconds.

WORD HISTORY:
Carp-This is the noun for the fish (the verb is from a different source). "Carp" is from the Goths, whose Gothic language is classified as East Germanic, the last elements of which died out in the 1700s in the Crimea. Gothic had "karpa" for the name of the fish. Latin borrowed the word as "carpa" which it passed on to Latin-based Old French as "carpe." English borrowed the word in the second half of the 1300s, with the Latin form seemingly gaining a foothold, but then heavily reinforced by French.