Sambaram (Chilled Spicy Buttemilk Drink)

July 27th 2011

I have grown up always in sunshine and never had to check the weather for most of my life. But the abundance of sun also leads to very hot summers and this is something my mom always made for those super hot afternoons/evenings. 

This is a great drink to also help with digestion or when you feel kinda stuffed and not sure what you want to eat. Finishing off with this will make you feel cool inside and out :)  Now when all over the US the temperatures are soaring expect for my beloved Northwest this is  perfect. Give it a try!

Time: 15 min

Difficulty Level : Easy

Ingredients:

• 1 cup or more of yogurt (curd)
• 2 inches ginger
• 2-3 curry leaves
• 2-3 green chilies (vary based on desired spice level)
• a bunch of cilantro
• a pinch of hing (asafoetida)
• 1 cup or more of water
• a few cubes of ice
• salt (to taste)

Method de Preparation:

1. Grind the first 6 ingredients in a blender or use a hand blender. 
2. Once all the ingredients and blended well and you have a green liquid, add the water and salt and blend till it froths (another min).
3. Serve with a few cube of ice.

Substitutions:

1. You can use buttermilk instead of yogurt but then reduce the amount of water. This is supposed be thinner than a milkshake but I prefer it to be about the consistency of a fruit juice.
2. Reduce/Increase the amount of green chilies based on spice level.
3. Add garlic/onions etc if you like and can stand the rawness :)

Confessions:

Apologize for the bad pictures. This was one of the those days when we decided to skip dinner and drink this instead as we were too stuffed; so poor lighting :D